WASHINGTON: President Joe Biden said the United States officially recognised the Pacific nations of Cook Islands and Niue on Monday (Sep 25), as he hosted regional leaders in a bid to wrest influence from China. The announcement came at the start of a summit with the 18-member Pacific Islands Forum, where
WASHINGTON: President Joe Biden said the United States officially recognised the Pacific nations of Cook Islands and Niue on Monday , as he hosted regional leaders in a bid to wrest influence from China.
Both are self-governing nations in"free association" with New Zealand, meaning that their foreign and defence policies are in varying degrees linked to Wellington. China's"assertiveness and influence, including in this region, has been a factor that requires us to sustain our strategic focus". Manasseh Sogavare, who was in New York last week to attend the UN General Assembly, did not extend his stay in the US.