US Should Ramp up West Pacific Ties to Fend Off Beijing’s Expansionism, Report Says
The United States needs to ramp up diplomatic ties with Freely Associated States (FAS)—Palau, the Marshall Islands, and Micronesia—to restrict Beijing’s expansionism in the Pacific region, according to a new report.
The United States Institute for Peace said Beijing saw Pacific nations as a “low-investment, high-reward” opportunity.
“China has not focused on the FAS in its influence-building efforts in the Pacific to the degree it has focused on South Pacific nations, but nonetheless is positioning itself to take advantage of any deterioration in U.S.-FAS relations,” the report said.
The Institute also said Beijing was looking to project force beyond the “first island chain” a line of major islands including Japan, Taiwan, and the Philippines….