Important Facts For Prelims
US-Pacific Island Summit 2022
- 03 Oct 2022
- 3 min read
Why in News?
Recently, the US President hosted the first-ever U.S.- Pacific Island Country Summit in Washington, D.C, and announced USD 810 million in funding for Pacific Islands.
What were the Key Highlights of the Summit?
- Expand US Presence: The announced USD 600 million will be in the form of a 10-year package to clean up and develop dirty waters to support the tuna industry, which will also expand climate and development aid and its diplomatic presence.
- Countering China’s Aggressive Policy: China had made inroads in the strategic but sparsely populated region by asserting itself strongly in recent years in the pacific islands through investment, police training and, most controversially, a security pact with the Solomon Islands. Therefore, the US is re-engaging with the region that has been tied closely to it since World War II.
- Forging Alliances: The US administration recently formed Partners in the Blue Pacific with Australia, New Zealand, Japan and Britain and further said that Canada and Germany will join and that France, itself a South Pacific power, as well as the European Union, South Korea and India would participate as non-members.
What are Pacific Island Countries?
- About: The Pacific Island Countries are a cluster of 14 states which are located largely in the tropical zone of the Pacific Ocean between Asia, Australia and the Americas.
- They include Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Republic of Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.
- Significance:
- Largest Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs): The islands are divided on the basis of physical and human geography into three distinct parts — Micronesia, Melanesia and Polynesia.
- Despite their small land area, the islands are spread out over a wide swath of the Pacific Ocean. Kiribati and FSM, have EEZs larger than that of India.
- Economic Potential:
- Large EEZs have a great deal of economic potential since they can be used to exploit the wealth of fisheries, energy, minerals, and other marine resources present there.
- Potential Vote Bank: The 14 PICs, bound together by shared economic and security concerns, account for as many votes in the United Nations, and act as a potential vote bank for major powers to mobilise international opinion.
- Largest Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs): The islands are divided on the basis of physical and human geography into three distinct parts — Micronesia, Melanesia and Polynesia.
