WASHINGTON – The United States plans to provide more than $150 million for initiatives aimed at strengthening energy security, infrastructure, maritime safety and economic ties across the Pacific, a senior State Department official said during a briefing on Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau’s recent regional trip.
Landau traveled to Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Solomon Islands and Kiribati from Aug. 31 to Sept. 11. In Palau, he attended the Pacific Islands Forum leaders meeting as a dialogue partner and held 11 bilateral meetings, the official said.
The announced support includes an intended $60 million to help Pacific nations manage energy costs and improve fuel storage capacity. The official said the United States had worked with private companies and partner countries to maintain fuel exports to the region and that, so far, the Pacific had not experienced a supply shortage.
In Tonga, the U.S. Trade and Development Agency plans to fund a feasibility study of upgrades to port facilities, fuel storage, pipelines and energy regulations, the official said.
The U.S. also announced a $17 million regional project to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. The effort will support legal and policy updates, training and new technology, the official said. A first U.S. Pacific Islands Conference of Police Ministers, to be co-chaired with Palau, is planned for later this year and will address maritime security, drug trafficking, cybercrime and illicit finance.
The official described the administration’s economic approach as prioritizing private-sector growth and “trade over aid.” The United States is working with Australia, Japan, New Zealand and Taiwan to connect Pacific Islands Forum countries to trusted undersea cable networks, she said. A second Pacific Investment Summit is planned for early 2027, following an inaugural meeting in Honolulu that brought more than 80 U.S. companies together with Pacific leaders.
In the Federated States of Micronesia, Landau visited Chuuk to survey damage from Typhoon Sinlaku. The official said the United States intends to provide more than $100 million for disaster relief and reconstruction. Asked about negotiations over a possible U.S. defense site, she said the visit focused largely on recovery efforts, while noting that security and defense projects remained part of broader discussions under the Compact of Free Association.
In the Solomon Islands, the United States signed an agreement to facilitate the return of the Peace Corps after a 26-year absence, the official said.
The briefing also addressed China’s role in the region. The official said the United States shares concerns with Pacific partners about what she called China’s “malign activities,” including economic coercion and illegal fishing. But she said U.S. engagement was not solely intended to counter China and was also driven by shared economic and security interests.
The United States supports Taiwan’s continued participation in the Pacific Islands Forum, where Taiwan has been a development partner since 1992, the official said. She added that decisions about the forum’s membership and partners are for its members to make.
The official said the trip underscored a U.S. commitment to deeper partnerships with Pacific nations, describing the approach as one based on transparency, collaboration and respect.
GSV News Service
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- GSV News Service#molongui-disabled-link
- GSV News Service#molongui-disabled-link
- GSV News Service#molongui-disabled-link
