Biden announces new diplomatic strategy with Pacific island nations

• The Biden administration also announced $810 million in aid to the islands, which is in addition to the $1.5 billion that the U.S. has provided to the region over the last decade.
• The White House in the Thursday announcement said the Pacific islands region "holds opportunities and challenges, from the climate crisis to an increasingly complex geopolitical landscape."
• "Increasingly those impacts include pressure and economic coercion by the People's Republic of China, which risks undermining the peace, prosperity, and security of the region, and by extension, of the United States,” the strategy document says, Reuters reports.
• As part of the Biden administration's efforts, the White House said they will work with the region to fight the climate crisis, "recognizing the existential threats this crisis presents to the Pacific Islands."
• The administration also said it will work with the islands to ensure that "they have the autonomy and security to advance their own interests."

The big picture: The strategy comes on the second day of a summit with leaders and representatives from more than a dozen Pacific island states, per Reuters.

• President Biden is hosting the summit in Washington, which included remarks from Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday, and centers on strengthening ties with the Pacific region, per CNN.

Go deeper... Facing existential threat from climate change, Pacific Islanders urge world to listen