US to set up embassies in Cook Islands, Niue: The significance, explained

Not many knew about the Cook Islands and Niue, until now. The tiny Pacific islands are in the news after United States president Joe Biden on Monday announced the opening of new embassies there. The move comes as President Joe Biden welcome Pacific Island leaders to Washington, DC, for a two-day US-Pacific Island Forum Summit – a move aimed at countering China’s growing influence in the region. Interestingly, the talks have already suffered a setback as Solomon Islands prime minister Manasseh Sogavare, now closely aligned with Beijing, will not attend. A White House official, confirming the same said, “We’re disappointed that he’s chosen not to come to this very special summit.” Moreover, Prime Minister Meltek Sato Kilman Livtuvanu of Vanuatu is also expected to miss the summit. We take a closer look at these two areas and try to unload their strategic importance to America. All about Cook Islands and Niue The Cook Islands is a self-governing island country in the South Pacific Ocean in free association with New Zealand. What this means is that New Zealand offers the island country with aid and assistance and islanders are also in possession of New Zealand citizenship. Named after Captain Cook, who explored them in 1773, the islands were once autonomous, home to tribes of mixed Polynesian ancestry. Today, the island country is in charge of its own foreign and defence policy, though it relies on New Zealand for its defence. Most Cook Islanders are citizens of New Zealand, but they also have the status of Cook Islands nationals, which is not given to other New Zealand citizens. [caption id=“attachment_13166182” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Cook Islands sailors jump on their canoe during traditional singing as they arrive in Papeete harbour. Cook Islands has a population of nearly 15,000 people. File image/Reuters[/caption] According to the last census carried out in the small region, the population of Cook Islands is 14,987, with most of the people choosing to live on the island of Rarotonga, where there is an international airport. The current leader of Cook Islands is Mark Brown. He became the prime minister of the region on the retirement of Henry Puna in October 2020, having served as finance minister since 2010. The Niue Island is another island country in the South Pacific Ocean and is in free association with New Zealand. Spread across over 261.46 square kilometres, it has a small population of just 1,689 people, as per last year’s census. Similar to Cook Islands, all Niueans are New Zealand citizens, and New Zealand is its main source of aid and biggest trading partner. Fishing, agriculture and tourism are economic mainstays and the island attracts whale-watchers, divers and yachting enthusiasts. It’s important to note that while Niue isn’t a member of the United Nations, the world body recognises its status as a freely associated state as equivalent to independence for the purposes of international law. The island is also known as The Rock and is one of the world’s largest coral islands. Its leader today is Dalton Tagelagi and he was elected premier by Niue’s legislative assembly in June 2020 following the May general election. [caption id=“attachment_13166192” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] The Niue Island is spread across over 261.46 square kilometres. It is is in free association with New Zealand. File image/Reuters[/caption] Pacific islands summit The announcement of US embassies in Cook Islands and Niue comes as President Joe Biden prepares to host leaders from the 18-member Pacific Island Forum today (25 September) and Tuesday (26 September). The leaders expected at the meeting includes Australia, Cook Islands, Micronesia, Fiji, French Polynesia, Kiribati, Nauru, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu. Earlier, the leaders were feted at a Baltimore Ravens football game. As per the schedule, they will also visit a coastguard cutter in Baltimore Harbour for a briefing by the commandant of the US coastguard on combating illegal fishing and other maritime issues. The leaders also are slated to meet with members of Congress and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is to host a round table with the leaders and members of the business community. The talks at the White House are expected to cover a vast array of topics, including the threat of climate change, advancing economic growth, and promoting sustainable development”. [caption id=“attachment_13166222” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Solomon Islands’ PM Manasseh Sogavare, Papua New Guinea’s PM James Marape, Marshall Islands’ president David Kabua and Samoa’s PM Fiame Naomi Mata’afa listen as US resident Joe Biden delivers remarks at the US-Pacific Island Country Summit at the State Department in Washington. The two-day summit beginning today will be the second such meeting between the US and the South Pacific countries. File image/Reuters[/caption] This will be the second time that the US president will be meeting the Pacific countries’ leaders. At last year’s summit – held in September – the White House had announced an additional $810 million in support to Pacific islands over the next decade, including $130 million on efforts to stymie the impacts of climate change Speaking at the summit then, US president Joe Biden had said: “The Pacific Islands are a critical voice in shaping the future, and that’s why my administration has made it a priority to strengthen our partnership with your countries. “We’re seeing the consequences of climate change around the world very vividly, including in the United States right now, and I know your nations feel it acutely.” Counterbalancing China Establishing diplomatic ties with Cook Islands and Niue and hosting the Pacific Island Forum is Washington’s efforts of countering China’s increasing presence in the region. An American official was quoted as saying, “There’s also no question that there is some role that the (People’s Republic of China) has played in all this. No question that its assertiveness and influence, including in this region, has been a factor that requires us to sustain our strategic focus.” Beijing has imposed its presence – through increased aid, development, diplomacy and security cooperation – in the region. In 2022, Solomon Islands signed a security pact with China, sparking international concern over the possibility of Beijing building its first military base in the region. According to Lowy Institute research, between 2006 and 2017 China provided close to $1.5 billion in foreign aid to the Pacific Islands region through a mixture of grants and loans. An ORF report stated that Chinese loans account for more than 60 per cent of Tonga’s external debt, as well as nearly 50 per cent of Vanuatu’s overseas debt. On the other hand, representing almost a fourth of its overseas debt, the Chinese debt to Papua New Guinea amounts to nearly $590 million. But wouldn’t more loans and aid to these small countries be a good thing? There are concerns that the scale of funding and lack of transparency of these loans is a debt trap.

Furthermore, the scale of loans also helps Beijing exert a more powerful presence in the region at the cost of the countries’ national security. It is in light of these developments that the US and even Japan, Australia and India have begun reaching out to these Pacific nations in an attempt to counter China’s growing influence and maintain stability in the region’s politics. With inputs from agencies