The strategic location of Pacific Island countries puts them in the middle of the growing tensions between China and the US and Australia. While they might not be able to completely avoid the power competition, they have figured out how to use it to get what they want. All while battling an existential threat. Countries like the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu are negotiating deals with China and Australia and playing them off against each other. And Kiribati and others have figured out how to use access to their vast Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) and tuna stocks as leverage, despite challenges of overfishing. The Nauru agreement plays a key role here. Despite being some of the most remote places on Earth, the Pacific Islands have been at the center of geopolitical struggles for centuries, from the colonial era to World War Two, through the Cold War and up to today. The US and Japan fought bloody battles over Guadalcanal, Midway, Tarawa and numerous other atolls. The US, UK and France conducted nuclear tests in Bikini, Enewetak, Moruroa and Fangataufa and in Kiribati. The US created Runit Dome on the Marshall Islands as a trash can for its nuclear waste. But they are combing forces and trying to turn the tables, all while getting deals on the most pressing issue they are facing – the one China, Australia and the US don’t want to talk about.
