On Thursday, July 18, the United States announced the opening of a new embassy in the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu. This move is the latest sign of the ongoing competition between the US and China in the Asia-Pacific region.
The US State Department spokesperson, Matthew Miller, released a statement on Thursday announcing the official opening of the embassy in Port Vila, the capital of Vanuatu. Miller stated that the establishment of the embassy will enhance the US diplomatic presence in the region and strengthen efforts to engage with Pacific Island nations.
“This embassy opening further signifies the development of our relationship with Vanuatu and underscores our commitment to bilateral relations, the people of Vanuatu, and partnerships in the Indo-Pacific region,” Miller said.
China has been actively expanding its influence in the Pacific island nations, with Vanuatu accumulating significant debts. According to data from the Australian Lowy Institute, around 40% of Vanuatu’s external debt is owed to the Export-Import Bank of China. The institute also estimated that China spent over 21 million USD to construct a presidential palace in Vanuatu.
In response to China’s penetration of the Pacific island nations, the US has been making efforts to strengthen its diplomatic presence in the Pacific region. Miller stated that the US looks forward to cooperating with the Vanuatu government on addressing climate change, economic development, ensuring maritime security, and continuing to build civilian connections, similar to the initiatives undertaken by the Peace Corps in the 1990s.
The Peace Corps is a small independent agency managed by the US government, with volunteers working as educators and professionals in agriculture, health, community economics, and youth development worldwide. They strive to improve productivity and encourage self-reliance to enhance the lives of people in underdeveloped or underserved areas.
Over 60 years ago, President John F. Kennedy signed an executive order establishing the Peace Corps, expressing his hope that it would bring satisfaction to Americans and contribute to world peace.
In March of this year, the Vanuatu police and officials reported that they conducted boarding inspections aboard the first US Coast Guard patrol vessel in Vanuatu waters, uncovering six Chinese fishing vessels violating Vanuatu’s fishing laws.
Also in March, US State Department officials informed Congress that embassies had been opened in two other Pacific island nations, the Solomon Islands and Tonga, with plans to establish an embassy in Kiribati. The officials noted that the Kiribati mission is awaiting parliamentary approval.
Despite the small size of the Pacific island nations, each country has an equal vote in the United Nations, controlling three times the maritime and seabed mineral resources of the continental United States. A regional leader, the then-president of Micronesia, David Panuelo, stated in March 2023 that Beijing has been engaged in “political infiltration” to control the country’s strategic infrastructure, which is not far from a crucial US military base in Guam.