The US has been warned that it could lose incredibly important strategic Pacific Islands to China due to disputes over blocked funding.
Palau, the Marshall Islands, and the Federated States of Micronesia are currently “under pressure” and may be forced to turn to China for financial help.
If this goes through, US defence officials have warned that the country could lose these nations to China. Instead, they are pushing to provide the funding themselves.
The leaders of the islands have claimed that they need £2.3 billion, currently held up in Congress, or they may have no other choice but to ask China for the money.
Coincidentally, China is trying to shift the power dynamics of the region in its favour, most notably due to the issue of Taiwan and who lays claim to it.
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If the money isn’t handed over soon and the islands turn to China, it could result in Palau and the Federated States of Micronesia recognising Taiwan as under the ownership of China.
The three leaders issued a joint letter in February warning of the “uncertainty” created by the delay in receiving the money, resulting in “undesirable opportunities for economic exploitation by competitive political actors active in the Pacific”.
The islands are involved in treaties called Compacts of Free Association (Cofa) which allows the Pentagon to have virtually unrestricted military access in exchange for guaranteed security and other benefits.
Cofa states allow the US to remain a Pacific power as they afford the country access to an area of the region larger than the continental US, providing a critical defence mechanism against potential Chinese advances.
Congress is currently holding up a vast amount of money for oversees conflicts such as the Russia-Ukraine war and Israel’s war on Palestine; this £2 billion is yet another example.
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House Republicans are currently doing everything they can to slow aid packages being passed as they seek extra measures on immigration and border reform.
Experts have voiced their concern over this placed the blame on Joe Biden’s administration. Drew Thompson, a former US defence official, said: “Congress is shortsighted for not funding these things but really the Biden administration is at fault for not making the case to Congress, not prioritising this.”
President of Palau, Surangel Whipps, warned that his government could turn to China, an increasingly more appealing partner in light of the delays in US funding.
He told NBC: “It creates the opportunity for the CCP really to erode Palauan confidence in our relationship with the United States.”
