Wellington: As China's influence in the Pacific increases, the United States is stepping up its diplomatic efforts there. On Wednesday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken paid a visit to the tiny nation of Tonga.
Tonga, a nation of just over 100,000 people, experienced a massive volcanic eruption last year that triggered a tsunami, claimed four lives there, and released millions of tonnes of water vapour into the atmosphere.
Blinken celebrated the return of Peace Corps volunteers after the COVID-19 pandemic ended and dedicated a new US Embassy in Tonga, which opened two months ago.
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Blinken told reporters that he was concerned about China's actions in the area, particularly its increased emphasis on militarization, "predatory" economic practises, and assertion of "illegal" maritime claims.
According to Blinken, "there has been some, from our perspective, increasingly problematic behaviour as China's engagement in the region has grown."
The large sum of money that his country had borrowed from China, according to Tongan Prime Minister Siaosi Sovaleni, didn't worry him, and in fact, the debt was being repaid this year.
According to State Department spokesman Matthew Miller, Blinken met with Sovaleni and other representatives to discuss the bilateral relationship as well as issues in the region and around the world.
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Miller stated in a statement that "Secretary Blinken outlined how the United States is carrying out President Biden's commitments made at last year's historic summit with Pacific Island leaders to elevate our diplomatic and development presence and engagement in the region."
According to Miller, the visit also demonstrated US efforts to address the Pacific climate crisis, which includes enhancing early warning systems.
Blinken will then proceed to New Zealand, where he will meet with representatives and attend the US vs. Netherlands women's World Cup football match on Thursday. The next stop on his journey is Brisbane, Australia, where he will meet with Australian counterparts and Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin.
After trips to China and Indonesia in the previous two months, this is Blinken's third trip to the Asia-Pacific region. The second gentleman, Doug Emhoff, who is married to US Vice President Kamala Harris, recently returned from a trip that included stops in New Zealand and Samoa. This week, Emmanuel Macron, the president of France, set out on a trip to the South Pacific.
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Blinken's trip was made public not long after the State Department informed Congress that it intended to significantly increase diplomatic staffing and budget for facilities at new US embassies in the Pacific islands. China has permanent diplomatic missions in eight out of the twelve Pacific island nations that the US recognises, according to the update to Congress, and the US needs to catch up.