The Latest Breaking News from South Pacific

China and Solomon Islands Sign Security Pact

Accord aims to assure social stability in South Pacific nation, China’s Foreign Ministry says, though U.S. fears it could lead to a Chinese military base there

Caixin Global · Apr 19, 2022

US officials heading to Solomons over China pact worries

The U.S. is sending two top officials to the Solomon Islands following a visit by an Australian senator over concerns that China could establish a military presence in the South Pacific island nation

The Independent UK · Apr 19, 2022

Australian minister tries to end Solomons-China pact

Australia’s Minister for International Development and the Pacific Zed Seselja has flown to the Solomon Islands in a bid to prevent a China military presence in the South Pacific island nation

The Independent UK · Apr 13, 2022

Invisible threats / Japan searches for ways to exclude China from key infrastructure

This is the fifth installment in a series that explores Japan's vulnerabilities in areas including the protection of vital information and supply networks, prompting the Japanese government to expedite efforts to pass an "economic security promotion law."

The Japan News/Yomiuri · Feb 27, 2022

Why Did Elon Musk Donate 50 Satellite Terminals To Tonga?

The government of Tonga announced Elon Musk’s SpaceX has donated 50 very-small-aperture terminals (VSAT) to help the South Pacific kingdom re-establish telecommunications connectivity with the world after underwater volcanic eruption and a tsunami on Jan. 15 severed its underwater fiber optic cable.

Benzinga · Feb 18, 2022

Bitcoin paradise? Briton creates ‘crypto utopia’ in South Pacific

Cryptocurrency investors invited to join Anthony Welch and his partner on the regulation-free island on the Vanuatu archipelago

The Guardian - UK · Feb 12, 2022

US aims to counter China by opening Solomon Islands embassy

The U_S_ says it will open an embassy in the Solomon Islands, laying out in unusually blunt terms a plan to increase its influence in the South Pacific nation before China becomes “strongly embedded.”

The Independent UK · Feb 12, 2022

Elon Musk helping restore internet to Tonga, officials say

Entrepreneur Elon Musk is trying to help reconnect Tonga to the internet after a volcanic eruption and tsunami cut off the South Pacific nation more than three weeks ago, according to officials, while repairs on an undersea cable are proving more difficult than first thought

The Independent UK · Feb 9, 2022

Wreck of ship sailed by James Cook in S. Pacific found in US

Maritime experts believe they’ve found the wreck of one of the most important ships in the history of Australia and the South Pacific

The Independent UK · Feb 3, 2022

Japanese aid to Tonga aimed at countering China's influence

Following the eruption of an underwater volcano in Tonga, the Japanese government is working to provide aid to the South Pacific nation, spurred partly by Beijing's growing influence in the region.

The Japan News/Yomiuri · Jan 26, 2022