Pacific Ocean

List of Pacific Ocean articles

U.S. President Joe Biden sits at a table next to a screen showing with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a virtual meeting at the White House.
U.S. President Joe Biden sits at a table next to a screen showing with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a virtual meeting at the White House.

How to Talk About China Without Talking About China

Team Biden’s split-screen messaging on China at home versus abroad may pay off.

Royal Australian Navy submarine HMAS Rankin takes part in an Australian-Indian naval exercise on Sept. 5, 2021 off Darwin, Australia.
Royal Australian Navy submarine HMAS Rankin takes part in an Australian-Indian naval exercise on Sept. 5, 2021 off Darwin, Australia.

Why China Should Worry About Asia’s Reaction to AUKUS

Even some non-aligned countries have cautiously signaled support.

China's ambassador to the Solomon Islands, Li Ming (R), and Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare (L) cut a ribbon during the opening ceremony of a China-funded national stadium complex in Honiara, Solomon Islands.
China's ambassador to the Solomon Islands, Li Ming (R), and Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare (L) cut a ribbon during the opening ceremony of a China-funded national stadium complex in Honiara, Solomon Islands.

The 2023 Pacific Games Wrap Small Countries in Big-Power Struggles

A Solomon Islands-hosted sporting event has become part of a China-West tussle.

Sheep shearing in Australia in 1886.
Sheep shearing in Australia in 1886.

What a 19th-Century Shearer Can Teach Us About Korean-Australian Relations

People-to-people interactions are longer and deeper than the pair’s state relations.

Two men walk past a row of guards in uniform.
Two men walk past a row of guards in uniform.

Chinese Police Could Crush Solomon Islands Opposition

Government critics fear security pact consequences.

An aerial view of a strip of land in Funafuti, Tuvalu in Nov. 2019. The low-lying South Pacific island nation has been classified as ‘extremely vulnerable’ to climate change by the United Nations Development Programme.
An aerial view of a strip of land in Funafuti, Tuvalu in Nov. 2019. The low-lying South Pacific island nation has been classified as ‘extremely vulnerable’ to climate change by the United Nations Development Programme.

Climate Finance and Geostrategic Interests in the Pacific

Foreign investment in climate adaptation in the Pacific Islands will be key to sustainable development and security in Asia.

Visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (left) meets with Pacific Islands Forum PIF Secretary General Henry Puna.
Visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (left) meets with Pacific Islands Forum PIF Secretary General Henry Puna.

China’s Pacific Push Is Backfiring

An aggressive diplomatic strategy hasn’t produced many results.

Kiribati’s seat sits empty at the Pacific Islands Forum.
Kiribati’s seat sits empty at the Pacific Islands Forum.

U.S. Raises the Ante in Pacific Islands After Chinese Swoop

But the Pacific Islands are loath to be pawns in a geopolitical game.

An aerial view of an island, beach, and cruise ship.
An aerial view of an island, beach, and cruise ship.
Samoan Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mataafa and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi attend a signing ceremony in Apia, Samoa on May 28.
Samoan Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mataafa and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi attend a signing ceremony in Apia, Samoa on May 28.
Solomon Islands Foreign Minister Jeremiah Manele (left) escorts Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (center) on his arrival at the Honiara International Airport in Honiara, Solomon Islands, on May 25.
Solomon Islands Foreign Minister Jeremiah Manele (left) escorts Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (center) on his arrival at the Honiara International Airport in Honiara, Solomon Islands, on May 25.

Don’t Overreact to China’s Solomon Islands Plans

Naval power projection is a long way out for Beijing still.

A thin strip of island is surrounded by the sea.
A thin strip of island is surrounded by the sea.

China’s Rising Ambitions in the South Pacific

And what they mean for geopolitics—and for the region’s island democracies.

A man in a suit stands and points before colorful red flags.
A man in a suit stands and points before colorful red flags.
Solomon Islander Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare attends a meeting with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang.
Solomon Islander Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare attends a meeting with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang.

Australia’s Got a Solomon Islands Headache (Again)

China’s expansion into the South Pacific caught Australia and the United States off guard.

Modi and Putin meet
Modi and Putin meet

Why Most of the Indo-Pacific Tiptoes Around Russia

With Beijing and Moscow working so closely together, countries find it risky to support the West on Ukraine.

The U.S. Navy and South Korean Navy hold joint drills in the western Pacific Ocean on May 3, 2017.
The U.S. Navy and South Korean Navy hold joint drills in the western Pacific Ocean on May 3, 2017.

The Pacific Shouldn’t Be a ‘Strategic Surprise’

Why aren’t Beijing’s ambitions in the region obvious to Washington?

Seabed mining in Indonesia
Seabed mining in Indonesia

Can Mining the Seabed Help Save the Planet?

Few other issues better illustrate the messy trade-offs involved in climate policy.

Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr. meets with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr. meets with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Congress Presses White House to Take Control of Pacific Island Talks

China is building military bases all over the Pacific. U.S. access is hung up over decades-old nuclear tests.

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