South Korea hosts its first summit with Pacific island leaders amid concerns over China’s security ambitions for the area
- President Yoon Suk Yeol Yoon launched his strategy last year, pledging to foster a ‘free, peaceful and prosperous’ region amid concerns about China
- Cook Islands’ PM Mark Brown, said challenges facing the region were ‘vast and complex’ and talks would cover topics such as disaster risk and ocean governance
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol hosted the country’s first summit with leaders of Pacific islands on Monday, as Seoul seeks to boost its influence in a region that has become the focus of intense geopolitical rivalry.
As the leaders agreed to increase efforts to fight climate change, South Korea will also consider additional funding initiatives to support the Pacific region, Yoon’s office said.
Yoon launched his administration’s Indo-Pacific strategy last year, pledging to foster a “free, peaceful and prosperous” region built on a rules-based order, amid concerns over China’s security ambitions for the strategic waters and economic leverage among the small island states.
“The summit today will mark a new beginning of cooperation between South Korea and the Pacific islands,” Yoon said in his opening remarks.
Earlier, Yoon held bilateral talks with several leaders including Kiribati President Taneti Maamau and Papua New Guinean Prime Minister James Marape on issues such as fisheries and climate change ahead of the main summit, his office said.
Mark Brown, prime minister of the Cook Islands, told the summit opening that the challenges facing the region were “vast and complex” and talks would also cover areas such as disaster risk and resilience, ocean governance and maritime affairs.
