Still, Jeremiah Manele signaled he may take a more balanced approach to the East-West power struggle, recently saying it’s “important to treat every and all of our partners as equals.”
By Colin ClarkHypersonics: DoD’s development strategy for missiles
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Months of Chinese harassment of Philippine vessels culminated in early December with up to 135 Chinese ships swarming the Philippines around Scarborough Shoal.
By Colin Clark
Beijing and Washington have been in a tug of war over political influence for the 14 Pacific Island nations.
By Colin Clark
The investment by Australia and the United States into funding the new Google internet cables means the Pacific islands can avoid becoming integral parts of China’s global data collection.
By Colin Clark
“One of China’s most salient advantages in the competition is its ability to identify and woo both public influencers and elites in [Pacific island] governments, whether via licit or illicit means,” MITRE analysts conclude.
By Colin Clark
The announcement of Austin’s visit to Papua New Guinea came in the wake of more signs that that neighboring Solomon Islands continues to move towards China as its key partner.
By Colin Clark
A Coast Guard spokeswoman noted that being turned away from the Solomons “allowed for increased partnership with Papua New Guinea, supporting strategic objectives and strengthening regional relationships.”
By Colin Clark
Cybersecurity across domains for multi-domain operations webinar
On-demand webinar examining the latest trends and challenges in cybersecurity.
While China has rapidly built a much more modern military in a remarkably short time, it also faces enormous economic, demographic and national security challenges that aren’t always as apparent in Washington.
By Colin Clark
Secretary of State Anthony Blinken made a bold promise to the Pacific island leaders: “You can count on the United States partnering with you.”
By Colin Clark
Prime Minister Sogavare’s government claims that the “Solomon Islands have had unfortunate experiences of foreign naval vessels entering the country’s waters during the course of the year without diplomatic clearance granted, hence would like to avoid such incidents from reoccurring.”
By Colin Clark
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese engaged in a very public and winning hug with Solomon Islands leader Manasseh Sogavere, who repeated his pledge that there would not be any Chinese military bases in his country.
By Colin Clark
Campbell, the NSC’s coordinator for Indo-Pacific affairs, said the US will launch a new effort next week to help the Pacific islands, including initiatives to build new embassies.
By Colin Clark
“It can be difficult to make these systems work in practice. I expect that it will take quite a bit of money, time and focus to get a system like this actually operating,” said David Brewster, a senior fellow at Australian National University’s National Security College.
By Colin Clark
Stopping short of saying “red line,” a senior State Department official said a US delegation warned the Solomon Islands about a US response should China attempt to have a “de facto” military presence there.
By Colin Clark
