Biden to host Pacific Island leaders as China courts region

U.S. President Joe Biden will host leaders of Pacific Island nations at a Sept. 28-29 gathering in Washington, the White House said on Friday, the latest U.S. effort to step up ties with the region increasingly courted by China.
The summit will reflect the United States’ “broadening and deepening cooperation on key issues such as climate change, pandemic response, economic recovery, maritime security, environmental protection, and advancing a free and open Indo-Pacific,” the White House said in a statement.
An administration official told Reuters the White House had invited 12 Pacific Islands countries, including the Solomon Islands, which in April struck a security pact with China, heightening Washington’s concern about Beijing’s growing influence.
The Solomon Islands, which switched its ties to Beijing from Chinese-claimed Taiwan in 2019, is a focal point in the escalating competition between China and the United States in the strategically vital region.