Marshall Islands launches public engagement on new Compact deal
While both Palau and the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) have endorsed their new Compacts of Free Association with Washington, the Marshall Islands just launched its review process Thursday with the first of a
RMI President questions US commitment on COFA funding
Republic of Marshall Islands President, Hilda Heine, has questioned whether the Marshalls have reached a crossroads in its relationship with the United States. As Marshallese gathered to commemorate Nuclear Victims
China lures Palau with economic incentives to break ties with Taiwan
China has promised Palau economic benefits in exchange for the latter severing diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a letter the Palauan president wrote to an unnamed United States senator revealed. President Surangel Whipps
U.S. Senate fails to add Compact Funds to aid package
A last-minute bipartisan effort to add key funding aimed at countering China in the Pacific has failed in the U.S. Senate even as a US$95 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan moved forward. A renewal of
Micronesian leaders warn ‘competitive political actors’ exploiting delays in U.S. funding
Palau, Micronesia and the Marshall Islands, which occupy a militarily strategic expanse of the western Pacific, have warned that delays to U.S. financial assistance have created opportunities for “competitive
Nations can look elsewhere: Micronesia ex-leader urges U.S. to keep funds pledge
Months after exiting office, the former president of the Federated States of Micronesia has urged American lawmakers to keep their promise of approving funds for the Compact of Free Association (Cofa) pact, warning that
Opinion: What the U.S. should do better in its engagement with the Pacific
At the U.S. Institute of Peace’s Interorganisational Global Forum on security cooperation in the Pacific islands in September, the U.S. emphasised a ‘whole-of-government effort’ in engaging with the region that
U.S., Marshall Islands finally seal a new deal under COFA
After months of thorny negotiations that almost broke down at certain points, the United States and the Marshall Islands have finally signed a new 20-year agreement to renew the economic provisions of the Compact of
U.S. negotiator expects to sign new deal with Marshall Islands this week
The United States has finalised a 20-year extension to its agreement on ties with the strategic Marshall Islands and expects to sign the US$2.3 billion deal on Monday, chief U.S. negotiator with the Pacific island
Opinion: 29 years of independence: Palau at a crossroads
Every year on the first of October, the U.S government marks the beginning of a new fiscal year, and so does the Palau government. But what appears to be a lost detail, yet historically significant, event marks the
U.S. groping for contingency plan amid expiration of COFA’s economic provisions
The U.S. economic provisions for the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) and the Marshall Islands under the Compacts of Free Association expired on 30 September without being renewed as the U.S. Congress continued to
Opinion: Government shutdown threatens key U.S. effort to counter China in Pacific
A looming government shutdown threatens to upend a major multibillion-dollar diplomatic initiative between the United States and three Pacific Island nations that the Biden administration views as a cornerstone of its
