US Vice-President Kamala Harris to make virtual appearance at Pacific Islands Forum to unveil major plans for the region

United States Vice-President Kamala Harris will make a major intervention at the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) leaders' meeting, announcing that America will substantially ramp up its presence in the region.

Ms Harris will make a series of announcements at a surprise virtual meeting with leaders in Suva on Wednesday and reveal that the administration will craft the first comprehensive US national strategy on the Pacific.

This includes plans to open two new US embassies in the region — one in Tonga, and another in Kiribati, which over the weekend announced that it was pushing ahead with its plan to pull out of the PIF.

The Vice-President will also announce the administration will appoint a new envoy to the PIF and plough an additional $500 million in funding into the Forum Fisheries Agency in return for fishing rights, soothing a persistent irritant in its ties with Pacific nations.

She will also flag plans to re-establish a United States Agency for International Development (USAID) regional mission in Fiji and bring Peace Corps volunteers back into the region.

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Source: ABC.net.au

Author: 
Stephen Dziedzic and Annika Burgess, ABC news