The US and Micronesia on Monday agreed to renew a key strategic pact, US presidential envoy Joseph Yun said, adding that he hoped for similar progress with Palau, as the US shores up support among Pacific island states to counter competition from China.
Yun said the Compact of Free Association agreement (COFA) with Micronesia would be signed on Monday next week at a ceremony in Papua New Guinea, attended by US President Joe Biden and new Micronesian President Wesley Simina.
Yun said he expected to be in the Marshall Islands from tomorrow until Sunday, but was “doubtful” the COFA agreement could be finalized at the moment.
Photo: Reuters
Washington first reached the COFA accords with the three island states in the 1980s, under which it retains responsibility for their defense, and provides economic assistance, gaining exclusive access to huge strategic swaths of the Pacific in return.
Renewing the COFA agreements has become a key part of US efforts to push back against China’s bid to expand its influence in the Pacific.
Yun said he initialed the agreement with his Micronesian negotiating counterpart Leo Falcam and would formally sign it with him next week in Port Moresby on the sidelines of a second summit between the US and Pacific island leaders.
“It’s absolutely a done deal,” he said, adding: “I am [now] going to go to Palau. Where I hope to make similar progress.”
Biden next week would become the first sitting US president to visit Papua New Guinea following a G7 summit in Japan, underscoring his investment in the Pacific region to counter China.
The old COFA provisions expire this year for Micronesia and the Marshall Islands, and next year for Palau.
Yun gave no reason for the holdup with the Marshall Islands, which is expected to hold parliamentary elections in November.
Washington has already signed memorandums of understanding on future assistance with the three COFA states.
Yun last month said that the “topline” agreements would provide them with a total of about US$6.5 billion over 20 years.
Asked about the Marshall Islands, another senior US official said: “This is no longer about the amount of money but ... about how the money will be structured and how it will be spent and what issues it will cover.
“These are always politically very, very sensitive in each country,” he said.
“In the longer term, I’m very optimistic that we will get an agreement with RMI,” he said, referring to the Republic of the Marshall Islands.
Last year, more than 100 arms-control, environmental and other activist groups urged the Biden administration to formally apologize to the Marshall Islands for the impact of massive US nuclear testing there and to provide fair compensation.
Marshall Islanders are still plagued by health and environmental effects of the 67 US nuclear bomb tests from 1946 to 1958, which included “Castle Bravo” at Bikini Atoll in 1954 - the largest US bomb ever detonated.
In related news, Papua New Guinea (PNG) Prime Minister James Marape yesterday said that the US had been a “silent” security partner to his nation, but that a defense cooperation agreement to be signed when Biden arrives on Monday next week would see Washington “stepping out.”
Marape confirmed that two security agreements would be signed — on defense cooperation and maritime surveillance.
“These signings will add value to our domestic security, as well as strengthen our own military, our police, our navy,” he told radio station 100FM.
The government would provide details on the agreements tomorrow, he said.
“The USA has been a strong security partner of us, but silent, almost deep at the back. Now for the first time now they are stepping out, coming to the front, engaging with PNG like never before,” he said.
Washington is seeking to nudge Pacific island nations away from security ties with China, after Beijing last year struck a security pact with Solomon Islands, and as tensions rise over Taiwan. PNG sits near crucial sea routes between Australia, Japan and the United States.
“At the moment in our waters, especially in our 200km waters, we have illegal fishing, we have illegal transportation, we have drug cartels... We want to ensure our country is secure from illegal activities,” he said.
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