By Michael Martina and David Brunnstrom
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States on Tuesday named former senior diplomat Joseph Yun to lead languishing talks with three tiny but strategically important Pacific Island countries, a signal that countering China remains a U.S. priority despite Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The State Department confirmed the appointment of Yun, who served as U.S. special envoy for North Korea under former U.S. Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump, in response to queries from Reuters.
“In light of the critical nature of these complex negotiations, President Biden is appointing Ambassador Joseph Yun as Special Presidential Envoy for Compact Negotiations,” a statement from the department said.
President Joe Biden’s administration has said it plans to finalize negotiations for renewed Compacts of Free Association governing U.S. economic assistance for the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, and Palau, but has given no timeframe.
Talks with the so-called Freely Associated States on the compacts – set to expire in 2023 for the first two and in 2024 for Palau – began during the Trump administration, but sources familiar with the process say there have been no substantive engagements with U.S. officials since December 2020.
China, meanwhile, has made economic overtures to the Pacific Islands countries focusing on tourism and trade and appears keen to establish a military foothold in the region.
(Reporting by Michael Martina and David Brunnstrom; Editing by Alistair Bell)
