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1 1 (January 11, 2022)

handle is hein.crs/govegni0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congr ssional Re earch Sea inforrning the Iegislative d bat since 1914 Updated January 11, 2022 The Pacific Islands Overvew In recent years, the Pacific Islands region in the Southwest Pacific has re-emerged as an area of interest to major powers, largely due to the People's Republic of China's (PRC's) expanding engagement in the region. The region has strategic significance for the United States and hosts key U.S. military installations. Major issues affecting the Pacific Islands include intra-regional and international tensions, economic development, illegal fishing, climate change, and issues related to self-determination and decolonization. Geopolitical Context Pacific Island countries (PICs) are scattered over a broad expanse of ocean and are divided among three sub-regions -Melanesia, Polynesia, and Micronesia (see Figure 1). The United States has long held a major economic and strategic role in the Micronesian subregion, home to two U.S. territories (Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands) and to the Freely Associated States (FAS)-Republic of the Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, and Republic of Palau-which have special economic and security ties with the United States. U.S. territory American Samoa lies in the Polynesian subregion. Australia and New Zealand maintain strong relations with much of the Southwest Pacific, particularly in the Melanesian subregion. Pacific IsLand Countries Some PICs, such as Papua New Guinea (PNG) and Fiji, are relatively large with extensive natural resources; others are very small, sitting on top low-lying coral atolls, with limited economic prospects and high vulnerability to the effects of climate change and sea level rise. Over half of the world's tuna is harvested in the region. Many PICs rely on fisheries, tourism, and remittances for revenue. Although their remoteness helped most PICs to minimize Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) infections, travel restrictions and border controls have disrupted tourism and trade, including food imports and tuna exports. The Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) is the region's main political and economic policy organization with 18 members, including 14 PICs, two French overseas collectivities, Australia, and New Zealand. In February 2021, following a leadership dispute, the five countries of the Micronesian subregion announced that they would withdraw from the organization. Tensions within the PIF may present challenges to regional cooperation. The United States and the Region The United States has significant military assets based in the Pacific. U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, based in Hawaii, encompasses Oceania as part of its area of responsibility. The Ilnited States has air and naval hases on Guam and an intercontinental ballistic missile test site on Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands (Ronald Reagan Missile Test Site), which also supports space surveillance activities. The Department of Defense is installing radar systems in Palau. The United States has military ties with Fiji, PNG, and Tonga, the only PICs with regular military forces. Figure I. The Pacific Islands Region and Subregions Source: Congressional Research Service. The United States has shiprider agreements with 11 PICs, which allow local law enforcement officers to embark on U.S. naval and coast guard ships in order to board and search vessels suspected of violating laws and to combat Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing. The Department of State extends $21 million annually in assistance to Pacific Island parties to the South Pacific Tuna Treaty (SPTT) to support sustainable fisheries. U.S. Department of State and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) assistance to the Pacific Islands region focuses on disaster prevention and response, climate resiliency and environmental protection, government and civil society, digital connectivity, fisheries, energy, basic health, and HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment in PNG. In 2018, the United States announced the Papua New Guinea Electrification Partnership, a collaborative effort with Australia, Japan, and New Zealand, that focuses on expanding the capacity and distribution of the country's electrical supply. In 2019, the Department of State launched a new Pacific Islands regional program as part of its Indo- Pacific Strategy. In 2019 and 2020, the Department of State, as part of its Pacific Pledge, committed a total of $300 million in new U.S. assistance, including $130 million to respond to COVID-19 in the region. USAID provided over $27.7 million in COVID-19 assistance as of November 2021. In the 117th Congress, a wide-ranging bill, Boosting Long- term U.S. Engagement in the Pacific Act (BLUE Pacific

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