Useless for US to use symbolism to woo PICs – Global Times
By Alfred Sasako Published: Sep 29, 2022 10:53 AM
As Pacific leaders departed Washington after the first ever and probably the last US-Pacific Leaders’ Summit, there is little doubt, they would be asking themselves what it all truly meant.
They might be asking, for example, why after eight decades of neglect, the US has suddenly appeared on the horizon and decided to re-engage with tiny nations that dotted the vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean.
And why now?
There might be other searching questions as well – questions on climate change, questions on economic development, questions on infrastructure development and still more questions on educational opportunities and whether the “US is back” policy is truly in the best interest of Pacific Island nations and its growing population.
The two-day US-Pacific Leaders’ Summit on September 28-29 got off to a bad start. A large chunk of independent sovereign nations and Territories in the Pacific – Cook Islands, Niue, New Caledonia and French Polynesia, never got an invite to the Summit, despite all being members of the Pacific Islands Forum.
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