China’s Edge in the Pacific Islands: Xi Jinping Makes Time for Leaders

In March, the U.S. Congress approved 20-year funding renewals for the Compacts of Free Association, bilateral agreements between the United States and Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia and the Marshall Islands. These three countries, known as the Freely Associated States, are seen as Washington’s most important partners in the Pacific Islands because of the far-reaching nature of the agreements, which permit U.S. military access to a vast and strategic region. But there are serious rifts in these relationships…