TOKYO — Japan and Australia are partnering to foster the development of IT personnel in Pacific island nations, looking to counter China’s growing presence in the region. Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications and the Australian government bring together senior officials overseeing the digital sector in many countries around the region for a three-day…
China hoped to increase “political trust” and belt and road cooperation with the Cook Islands, Premier Li Qiang told his visiting counterpart Mark Brown when they met on Friday. Multiple cooperation agreements were signed during the meeting in the northeastern city of Harbin, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported, without offering details. “China is willing to…
Australia said on Friday it has agreed to help boost Solomon Islands’ police force with a finance and training package for the Pacific nation, which has fostered close ties with China. The deal includes A$190 million (US$118 million) in financing over four years, training and infrastructure including a police training centre in the Solomons’ capital…
Australia and Pacific nation Nauru announced a landmark security treaty on Monday, advancing Canberra’s aim of blunting China’s growing regional influence. Under the treaty, Nauru must seek Australia’s agreement before it signs any other bilateral deals concerning maritime security, defence and policing. The Pacific microstate must also consult Australia if other countries look to strike…
The Kind Kitchen Express in Pacific aims to provide people with nutritious and filling meals ready to eat. Sam Mueller, 38, of Pacific has created a kiosk inside the Beauty & Barber Bar salon, 203 N. First St. Unit 1B, with refrigerators and a self-checkout station. Customers may pick up pre-ordered meals or purchase available…
The United States is set to host Taiwan President Lai Ching-te during stopovers in Hawaii and Guam as part of the first international trip of his tenure, defying protests from China. Lai, who took office in May, will depart on Saturday for a two-night stop in Hawaii before heading to the Marshall Islands and Tuvalu,…
The tiny Pacific Island nation of Palau says China continues to intrude into its maritime zone. “We keep on raising flags and complaining about it, but they keep on sending them,” President Surangel Whipps Jr. said in a recent interview with Agence France-Presse. The complaint is familiar to China’s maritime neighbors in the South China…