Climate crisis and China-US rivalry: five top takeaways from the Pacific’s most important summit

Pacific leaders pose for a group photograph on One Foot Island during the Pacific Islands Forum at Aitutaki, Cook Islands. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AP

Leaders from Pacific island countries – together with Australia and New Zealand – have just wrapped up their most important annual political talks.

They wrestled with calls to phase out fossil fuels and discussed how to navigate intense rivalry between the US and China, all while trying to keep a lid on simmering internal tensions.