ANALYSIS
The Biden administration is stepping up efforts to counter growing Chinese influence among Pacific island nations that Beijing views as a way to curb American power and expand the opportunities for new Chinese military bases, according to U.S. officials and foreign policy analysts.
The White House dispatched Vice President Kamala Harris to speak in recent days via video at a meeting in Fiji of Pacific islands leaders. Her message: The United States had neglected the islands in the past but is now taking greater action in the region.
The vice president, however, made no mention of China’s economic and diplomatic efforts to replace the United States as a key power in the region, efforts highlighted by an eight-country, 10-day tour of the South Pacific at the end of May by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in which he unsuccessfully pushed to a multilateral pact on security and development.