A draft joint declaration being negotiated by the United States and Pacific Island countries condemns Russia's invasion of Ukraine, flags intensifying American security cooperation with the region and declares climate change is the "highest priority" and "single greatest existential threat" to the Pacific.
However, Pacific nations appear to have stripped away a section which seems to take aim at the contentious security agreement signed by China and Solomon Islands, deleting a reference to the need for Pacific Island states to "consult with one another closely on security decisions with regional impacts".
