US announces aid for Pacific, as it tries to combat China’s influence in region

Fiji PM Frank Bainimarama, Joe Biden, and Solomon Islands PM Manasseh Sogavare met in Washington this week for the landmark US-Pacific Summit. Photograph: Bonnie Cash/EPA

The US will provide an additional $810m in support to Pacific island countries and recognise Niue and Cook Islands as sovereign states, as part of the country’s push to step up engagement with the region in the wake of China’s growing presence in the Pacific.

President Joe Biden announced the raft of measures on Thursday, at the first US-Pacific Summit in Washington, which saw leaders from more than a dozen Pacific island countries visit the US.