Fiji PM Sitiveni Rabuka cancels China visit after small head injury

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Australia’s Pacific Minister Pat Conroy said on Tuesday Sogavare had reassured him during a visit to the country that Australia remains the Solomon Island’s “primary security partner”.

“Every single Pacific leader agreed that security should be driven by the Pacific, that if any country in the Pacific has a gap in their security, they should ask other members of the Pacific family to fill it first,” Conroy told reporters.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited the tiny kingdom of Tonga on Wednesday, as the United States continues to increase its diplomatic efforts in the Pacific while China’s influence in the region grows.

Tonga last year was the site of a massive volcanic eruption that sent millions of tons of water vapor into the atmosphere and killed four people in Tonga.

Blinken’s visit helped highlight the opening of a new US Embassy in Tonga and the return of Peace Corps volunteers following the end of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Blinken met with Tongan Prime Minister Siaosi Sovaleni and other officials to discuss the bilateral relationship as well as regional and global issues, said State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller.

“Secretary Blinken outlined how the United States is following through on commitments made by President Biden at last year’s historic summit with Pacific Islands leaders to elevate our diplomatic and development presence and engagement in the region,” Miller said in a statement.

Miller said the visit also highlighted US efforts to tackle the Pacific climate crisis, including by expanding early warning systems.

Blinken next travels to New Zealand, where on Thursday he will meet with officials and watch the women’s World Cup soccer match between the US and the Netherlands. He then travels to Brisbane, Australia, for meetings with Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and their Australian counterparts.

Reuters, AP

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