The United States and Australia are moving to counter China's active engagement with South Pacific island nations.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong visited Fiji from Thursday to Friday, which coincided with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's tour of the region. Wong conveyed Canberra's policy of strengthening its assistance to South Pacific island nations in such fields as climate change and infrastructure development. The region is strategically significant for Australia's security, and China's expanding influence poses a direct threat.
At a press briefing on May 25, U.S. State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said that "importing security forces" from China "could only seek to fuel regional and international tensions."
