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1 1 (November 7, 2024)

handle is hein.crs/goverhc0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Con r <anal Re earch Sent; I fo mi ci th legriative d ~m s~ ice 1 14 Updated November 7, 2024 The Pacific Islands: Background and Issues for Congress COverview The Pacific Islands region encompasses 14 Pacific Island countries (PICs), the U.S. state of Hawaii, and several U.S. territories, and spans nearly 15% of the Earth's surface. Successive U.S. Administrations and some Members of Congress have identified significant U.S. national security interests in the region, including maintaining free and open waterways, supporting U.S. diplomatic engagement, providing assistance in areas such as economic development, sustainable fisheries, and climate change, and maintaining strong economic and security ties with the Freely Associated States. U.S. policymakers also have aimed to address security and other threats posed by the People's Republic of China (PRC or China) in the region. GeopointCal Context Pacific Island countries are diverse in geography and economies. They are scattered over a broad expanse of ocean and divided among three subregions-Micronesia, Polynesia, and Melanesia (see Figure 1). The United States has long held major economic and strategic roles 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 (RMI), Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), and Republic of Palau. U.S. territory American Samoa lies in the Polynesian subregion, where France has territories (collectivities) and military bases. Australia and New Zealand maintain strong relations with most PICs, particularly in Melanesia. China is pursuing closer political, security, and economic relations with the region, and since 2019 has established diplomatic relations with three Pacific Island countries that previously recognized Taiwan. The Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) is the region's main multinational organization. Headquartered in Fiji, the PIF has 18 members-14 PICs, 2 French collectivities, Australia, and New Zealand. At the 2024 PIF Leaders Meeting in Tonga, American Samoa and Guam were endorsed for associate membership. The PIF also has 21 dialogue partners that contribute to PIF discussions and initiatives aimed at regional development and security. The United States has been a dialogue partner since 1989. Australia, the Asia Development Bank, China, Japan, New Zealand, and the United States were the top providers of development assistance to the Pacific Islands in 2023. Recent U.S. intaie The Trump Administration increased foreign assistance to the Pacific Islands, and the Biden Administration further expanded U.S. engagement and assistance in the region. The Biden Administration held two U.S.-Pacific Islands Forum Summits, in 2022 and 2023. It announced the U.S. Pacific Partnership Strategy and other new initiatives and funding. Total U.S. development assistance to the region increased from $26.4 million in FY2020 to $57.6 million in FY2023, according to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). The Biden Administration's expanded U.S. programing for the region has included support for managing fisheries and combatting illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing; addressing the effects of climate change; infrastructure investment; development financing; security cooperation; and digital connectivity and cybersecurity. Other U.S. efforts since 2020 include the following: * The United States established new embassies in the Solomon Islands, Tonga, and Vanuatu, and plans to open an embassy in Kiribati and appoint a resident ambassador to Samoa. * In 2022, the State Department designated Ambassador Frankie Reed as the first-ever U.S. Envoy to the Pacific Islands Forum. * In 2023, the United States and Papua New Guinea signed a Defense Cooperation Agreement (DCA) that allows the U.S. military to develop and operate out of bases in PNG with the PNG government's approval. * In 2024, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command established Joint Task Force Micronesia (JTF-M) as a new command in Guam responsible for Indo-Pacific operational defense. Figure I. The Pacific Islands Region and Subregions Source: Congressional Research Service The United States and the Re on U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, based in Hawaii, encompasses the Pacific Islands as part of its area of responsibility. The U.S. military has air and naval bases on Guam, which play key roles in U.S. defense strategy in the region, an airfield on Wake Island, and operates the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site at Kwajalein Atoll in the

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