Biden pledges $200 mln for Pacific Islands
White House summit pulls together 18 nations as US seeks greater influence in region.
President Joe Biden met with Pacific Island leaders at a White House summit meeting on Monday, pledging more than $200 million in US aid.
The summit of 18 Pacific Island nations is part of the Biden administration’s campaign to build alliances in the Asia Pacific aimed at balancing China’s growing presence and bolstering the US’s strategic position in the region.
"The United States is committed to ensuring an Indo-Pacific region that is free, open, prosperous, and secure,” Biden said. “We’re committed to working with all the nations around this table to achieve that goal."
Biden pledged to work with Congress to provide $200 million more in funding for projects to mitigate the effects of climate change, spur economic growth, counter illegal fishing, and improve public health, according to the White House.
In connection with the summit, the US announced new diplomatic recognition of two Pacific Island nations, the Cook Islands and Niue.
Pacific Island leaders had visited a Coast Guard cutter in Baltimore harbor on Sunday and were briefed on combating illegal fishing by the Commandant of the US Coast Guard, according to Reuters.
The US recently deployed a Coast Guard vessel to Papua New Guinea to help that Indo-Pacific nation combat illegal fishing by Chinese vessels in its territorial waters.
Philippines Removes Chinese Fishing Barrier
The Philippines has removed a Chinese barrier blocking access to fishing grounds at a disputed shoal in the South China Sea.
The Philippine Coast Guard has “successfully” taken out the barrier laid down by Chinese vessels to obstruct the entrance to a lagoon at Scarborough Shoal “in compliance with the instruction” of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr and National Security Adviser Eduardo Ano, a Philippine Coast Guard spokesman said in a social media post.
The Philippines had accused Chinese vessels of installing the floating barrier to block Philippine fishing boats from entering a disputed lagoon at the Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea.
Commodore Jay Tarriela of the Philippine coast guard said the barrier was discovered by a patrol on September 22.
Three Chinese coast guard boats and a Chinese maritime militia service boat had installed the barrier when the Philippine vessel arrived, Tarriela said.
China claims more than 90 percent of the South China Sea. It seized the Scarborough Shoal in 2012. An international tribunal has ruled China’s claims are illegal under international law.
NYT: Chinese Ships Patrol Philippine Reefs
The New York Times sent a reporter and photographer into the Philippine Sea to document China’s military operations on and around disputed reefs.
“The Chinese military base on Mischief Reef, off the Philippine island of Palawan, loomed in front of our boat, obvious even in the predawn dark.
“Radar domes, used for military surveillance, floated like nimbus clouds. Lights pointed to a runway made for fighter jets, backed by warehouses perfect for surface-to-air missiles.”
“More than 900 miles from the Chinese mainland, in an area of the South China Sea that an international tribunal has unequivocally determined does not belong to China, cellphones pinged with a message: ‘Welcome to China.’
“The world’s most brazen maritime militarization is gaining muscle in waters through which one-third of global ocean trade passes.”
US to Extend Waivers for Korean Chipmakers
The US is expected to extend export control waivers for South Korean chipmakers Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix allowing them to bring US chipmaking equipment into China, according to the Yonhap news agency.
Commerce Department officials have discussed with South Korean company executives what equipment may be used in China, according to Yonhap which cited unnamed sources.
Commerce initially had authorized Samsung and SK Hynix to supply chip production equipment to China when the Biden administration introduced export controls last year.
Samsung produces NAND flash memory chips in Xian, China, and SK Hynix produces DRAM chips in Wuxi and flash chips in Dalian. Combined the companies supply nearly 70 percent of DRAM and 50 percent of NAND chips worldwide, according to data from TrendForce, a market research consultancy.
Ford Suspends EV Battery Joint Venture
Ford Motor Co has suspended plans to produce electric vehicle batteries in Michigan in a $3.5 billion joint venture with Contemporary Amperex Technologies (CATL), a Chinese company, following opposition from members of Congress.
“After months of investigation by the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, we’re encouraged to see Ford take a crucial first step to reevaluate its deal with Chinese Communist Party-aligned EV battery firm, CATL,” Representative Mike Gallagher said in a statement.
Gallagher is chairman of the Select Committee on the CCP, established by the House of Representatives at the beginning of the current legislative session. A group of more than two dozen Republican lawmakers had signed a letter to Ford CEO Jim Farley raising concerns about the CATL joint venture.
Biden Approves ATACMs for Ukraine
President Joe Biden told Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy when they met in Washington last week the US will send a small number of ATACMs long-range missiles to Ukraine.
The Army tactical missiles have a range of more than 180 miles giving the Ukrainian military the ability to hit Russian supply lines, railways, and command centers.
Ukraine has been using Storm Shadow missiles supplied by the United Kingdom to hit targets in Crimea including the naval HQ of Russia’s Black Sea fleet. Russia continues to attack Ukrainian cities, agricultural and industrial sites with missiles and drones.
The US is considering increasing its supply of Abrams main battle tanks to Ukraine to 60 tanks, according to the Ukraine Business Journal. The White House and the Pentagon are considering sending an additional 29 Abrams tanks to Ukraine in addition to previously promised 31.
Ukrainian forces have made recent progress breaking through Russian defenses around the symbolically important town of Bakhmut and are driving in the direction of Melitopol, which if successful would cut Russia’s land supply route to Crimea.
Zambia President Visited Beijing
Zambia’s President Hakainde Hichilema visited Beijing on September 10-16 to discuss debt resolution and future Chinese investment deals in the African state.
Hichilema is the fifth African head of state to visit China since the end of the pandemic following leaders from Tanzania, Algeria, Eritrea, and Benin, according to a report in The Diplomat.
Zambia the third largest recipient of Chinese foreign direct investment among African nations. Zambian leaders have visited nine times since 2003.
William Roberts
Always interesting.