US plans to open Vanuatu embassy in new Pacific boost

 

WASHINGTON – The United States said Friday it planned to open an embassy in Vanuatu, its latest effort to beef up its presence in the South Pacific where China has been seeking to expand its clout.

An embassy in the capital Port Vila “would allow the US government to deepen relationships” in the archipelago and to step up development assistance including on climate, a State Department statement said.

President Joe Biden’s administration, with bipartisan support from Congress, has been expanding the US role in an area that once received limited attention after a shock last year when China reached a security pact with the Solomon Islands.

Despite denials from the Sol…

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