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French Polynesia

The latest news, analysis and opinion on French Polynesia. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.

Capital

Papeete

Head of State

President of France Emmanuel Macron

Head of Government

President Moetai Charles Brotherson

last updated:

27 September, 2024

The Vaapiti, a double-hulled canoe, in French Polynesia. Photo: Vaapiti

Tourism

A Moana holiday sailing in Tahiti offers tastes of Polynesian tradition

Inspired by Disney’s Moana? Channel the Polynesian princess in Tahiti, where traditional vessels take visitors on cultural journeys by water.

5 Dec 2024 - 5:21AM

Malaysia

She left Malaysia to sail the world for freedom, adventure – and the ‘soft life’

28 Apr 2024 - 4:00PM

China’s military

China, France deepen military cooperation as South China Sea tensions rise

27 Apr 2024 - 9:30PMvideocam

Paris 2024 Olympic Games

China has its first Olympic surfer as Yang, 14, becomes youngest Paris qualifier

Teenager ‘super-excited’ and admits she was initially unaware that her World Surfing Games results had clinched her a ticket to Tahiti, where the Paris Games’ surfing events will be held.

2 Mar 2024 - 8:15PM

Yang Siqi on her way to an Olympic place at the World Surfing Games in Puerto Rico. Photo: Reuters

Paris 2024 Olympic Games

Surfing in Tahiti, football in Marseille – how to attend Olympics outside Paris

There have been gloomy forecasts about Paris’ transport and accommodation, but football will be held all over France, while sports such as equestrian and sailing will be staged entirely outside the capital.

21 Jan 2024 - 9:00AM

South China Sea

‘Likely to agitate China’: European powers step up their Indo-Pacific presence

Concerns about China, trade routes and upholding international law have seen Germany and Italy join France in making their regional presence felt, but analysts say increased European involvement could do more harm than good.

7 Jan 2024 - 12:00PM

Celebrity children

Does Bradley Cooper and Irina Shayk’s unique co-parenting style really work?

Six-year-old Lea De Seine holidays with Diane Von Furstenberg and doesn’t have a nanny, while her separated parents even continue to take sexy snaps of each other – so what’s going on?

18 Dec 2023 - 5:00AM

How are Bradley Cooper and Irina Shayk co-parenting their daughter, Lea De Seine Shayk Cooper? Photo: @bradleycooperrofficial/Instagram

Food and Drinks

Why Hong Kong cocktail bar Kinsman features obscure Cantonese spirits

Canadian-Chinese food writer turned bartender Gavin Yeung talks about his Hong Kong bar, Kinsman, and why it serves cocktails made with rare Cantonese spirits: to revive the city’s ‘forgotten history’.

7 Dec 2023 - 12:45PM

The Philippines

Philippines, France agree to ramp up defence ties

The boost to bilateral defence cooperation includes seeking authority from leaders of both countries to negotiate a status of visiting forces agreement.

2 Dec 2023 - 7:15PM

China's economic recovery

From snorkels to skiing, Chinese travellers eye the less trodden path

Chinese tourists hit 40.3 million in the first half of 2023, down from 155 million in all of 2019, but those who travel are seen to ‘prioritise personalised travel services catering to specific interests and passions’.

27 Oct 2023 - 11:30AMvideocam

Outbound tourists from China numbered 40.3 million in the first half of 2023, according to market research firm Statista, while 155 million people went abroad in all of 2019. Photo: Xinhua

United States

My Take | What independence really means for two tiny Pacific island states

Self-governing Cook Islands and Niue have exchanged their freedom in political association with New Zealand for dominated status under the United States.

29 Sep 2023 - 9:00PM

President Joe Biden speaks during the US-Pacific Island Country Summit at the State Department in Washington, September 29, 2022. Photo: AP Photo

My Take

My Take | Why Beijing’s security pact with Solomons has been a huge blunder

Islands provide perfect example of ‘China threat’ for US and its allies as they then turn central and south Pacific into their sphere of influence.

27 Sep 2023 - 9:00PM

US-China relations

My Take | Claims by US over central Pacific now rival those of Beijing in South China Sea

Washington’s new pacts with three island states will establish a second island chain of attack as a complete sphere of influence in breach of international law and its own interpretation of freedom of navigation.

25 Sep 2023 - 9:00PM

Pacific nations

Tiny Cook Islands, Niue to get US embassies amid Biden’s powered-up Pacific push

Fewer than 2,000 people call isolated Niue home, while the Cook Islands have a permanent population well under 20,000. Biden has put a premium on improving Pacific ties amid rising US concern about China’s influence.

25 Sep 2023 - 6:53PMvideocam

Joe Biden speaks during last year’s US-Pacific Island Country Summit in Washington, where the White House unveiled its Pacific strategy. Photo: AP

Pacific nations

US ‘back in force’ in Pacific as Biden engages with regional leaders at summit

The White House is hosting Pacific island leaders on Monday as Biden promises to take US engagement in region to ‘next level’ but there are notable absences from the meeting.

25 Sep 2023 - 3:26AMvideocam

US President Joe Biden poses with leaders from the US-Pacific Island Country Summit at the White House in Washington on Sept. 29, 2022. Photo: Reuters

Sri Lanka

France seeks Sri Lanka ties in aim to be ‘alternative’ Indo-Pacific power

France is looking to bolster its ties with Sri Lanka and believes it can be ‘a balancing power’ in the Indo-Pacific, analysts say.

27 Aug 2023 - 11:30AM

Diplomacy

Opinion | Why China should care about French interests in Africa and the Pacific

France could help China improve its EU ties under the banner of strategic autonomy – but Beijing would need to steer clear of red lines in francophone Africa and the South Pacific.

8 Aug 2023 - 1:25AMvideocam

Australia

‘I’m alive’: Australian lost at sea with a dog opens up about his 3-month ordeal

Timothy Lyndsay Shaddock is back on dry land and looking forward to seeing his family in Australia again. But Bella the dog won’t be joining him.

20 Jul 2023 - 4:17PMvideocam

Australia

Australian ‘castaway’ and dog survived 2 months at sea on rainwater, raw fish

Tim Shaddock and his dog, Bella were found in good health by a tuna trawler off the coast of Mexico this week, after they were lost at sea for two months.

17 Jul 2023 - 3:34PM

Luxury yachts

The ultimate guide to chartering a luxury yacht in 2023

While chartering a yacht to a stunning summer destination may sound simple, the reality is different: here’s what one Google executive learned from the experience, and how to avoid the same issues

13 Jul 2023 - 5:16PM

South China Sea

Opinion | France’s Indo-Pacific intervention is going full steam ahead

Extended military deployments in Asia and the pursuit of arms deals with several regional countries are demonstrating France’s desire to play a greater role in the Indo-Pacific.

8 Jul 2023 - 4:36AM

The French navy destroyer Lorraine is docked at Manila’s port on June 28. The Lorraine was in the Philippines for a port call after leaving Japan, part of an extended deployment to Asia. Photo: AFP

Tourism

7 unsung wine-producing countries to visit, from Georgia to China and India

From Georgia to China and Uruguay, we visit 7 below-the-radar destinations for wine lovers, find out what there is to see on a wine tour, and some of their other attractions for tourists.

7 Jul 2023 - 7:15PM

Smartno village in Goriska Brda, a famous wine region of Slovenia located near Italy. Photo: Shutterstock

Tourism

World’s best hotel named in La Liste’s inaugural accommodation rankings

French company La Liste’s inaugural Top 1,000 World’s Best Hotels list ranks the best accommodation using an algorithm that compiles web ratings – and Venice’s Belmond Hotel Cipriani came out on top.

30 Jun 2023 - 1:45PM

Millionaires and billionaires

11 billionaires trying to build their own utopias, from Musk to Gates

Elon Musk isn’t the only billionaire to try and build his own town – from Bill Gates to Marc Lore, here’s a list of the super-rich who have attempted to build utopias

12 Apr 2023 - 3:00AM

Fame and celebrity

How Barack and Michelle Obama make and spend their fortune

When the Obamas entered the White House in 2008, they had a net worth of US$1.3 million; today, it’s estimated at US$70 million … so how have they made and spent their fortune so far?

19 Mar 2023 - 12:10AM

Power couple: Michelle Obama and Barack Obama have amassed a net worth of at least US$70 million. Photo: @barackobama/Instagram

China trade

No longer ‘hole of Asia-Pacific doughnut’, South Pacific eyes China trade deal

Talks are being explored as the South Pacific is no longer regarded as the ‘hole of the Asia-Pacific doughnut’, and China is looking to cement an economic foothold in the region.

16 Mar 2023 - 7:57AMvideocam

Pacific Island countries, many impoverished and saddled by high costs because of their remote locations, have said they want foreign help that creates jobs and revives tourism. Photo: AFP

Pacific nations

Opinion | Resistance to Chinese backed mega-tourism projects growing in the Pacific

There has been opposition to a US$300 million mega-project proposed by Chinese developers due to its proximity to one of the few remaining mangrove forests near the Fijian capital of Suva.

8 Mar 2023 - 5:00AMvideocam

Asia travel

Small-ship cruises in Pacific and Southeast Asia: not ‘the same old stuff’

Adventure cruises allow more interaction than ever with far-flung communities, from Melanesian tribes to the traditional craftsmen of Vietnam’s Mekong River delta,

14 Feb 2023 - 7:33PM

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