The historic U.S. Pacific Partner Strategy highlights the United States' desire to reassert its presence in the Pacific Islands region amid rising threats from China. But the success of such renewed cooperation will depend on whether Washington can meet island nations' needs more effectively than Beijing, without letting U.S. security imperatives or other diplomatic priorities get in the way. On Sept. 29 during an inaugural Pacific Island summit in Washington, the U.S. government unveiled its first-ever strategic document dedicated to the Pacific Islands region. The 16-page U.S. Pacific Partnership Strategy, along with the two accompanying fact sheets, contains several provisions for increased cooperation in a region long seen as neglected by the U.S. foreign policy establishment. Instead of China's regional influence and security competition, the document focuses on areas of primary concern for Pacific Island countries -- namely, economic development and the regional impacts of climate change. In the document,...
