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Micronesia

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

Capital

Palikir

Head of State

President Wesley Simina

Head of Government

President Wesley Simina

A satellite image provided by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shows super typhoon Sinlakua in the Pacific Ocean on Monday. Photo: NOAA via AP

Pacific nations

Super Typhoon Sinlakua bears down on group of remote US islands in Pacific Ocean

Trump has approved emergency help for Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, where Sinlakua is expected to make landfall on Tuesday.

14 Apr 2026 - 2:23AMvideocam

US-China relations

China’s rebuilding of Micronesian airport runway raises alarm in US

19 Dec 2025 - 11:00PM

Pacific nations

A ‘ghost fleet’ of Japan’s rusting WWII wrecks is poisoning this Pacific paradise

14 Oct 2025 - 10:53AM

Japan

Japan dives deep in race for rare earths, stirring a green backlash

While rich mineral deposits promise centuries of supply, critics argue Japan’s deep-ocean venture risks an irreversible ‘race to the bottom’.

9 Jul 2025 - 8:00AM

A researcher logs coral reef coverage near a Japanese island. Environmentalists warn that deep-sea extraction of rare earths could have disastrous consequences for marine life. Photo: AFP

Pacific nations

Most Pacific island women don’t work. The World Bank wants to change that

Outdated laws and social norms keep 57 per cent of working-age women across the Pacific out of the labour force, the bank says.

17 Jun 2025 - 12:03PM

US-China trade war

My Take | The United States, not China, turns out to be the real bogeyman

The significance of Trump’s tariffs is that they have destroyed the credibility of America on which its global alliances have long depended.

6 Apr 2025 - 9:00PM

United States

My Take | Donald Trump’s tariff madness targets not only allies but animals

Penguins, seals and seabirds have not been spared in America’s global trade war, likewise territories with significant US or allied military assets.

4 Apr 2025 - 9:00PM

US President Donald Trump announces reciprocal tariffs at White House’s Rose Garden in Washington on April 2. Photo: TNS

Japan

Japan talks with Pacific islands focus on climate, security issues take back seat

Among the areas of concern highlighted by Pacific island nations was Japan’s release of treated radioactive water.

20 Jul 2024 - 1:45PMvideocam

Israel-Gaza war

My Take | International court prosecutor rises to historic occasion

In applying for arrest warrants for top leaders of Israel and Hamas, Karim Khan of the International Criminal Court has stood up for global justice and international law against the manipulated so-called rules-based order.

21 May 2024 - 9:00PM

Australia

My Take | Playing defence Mini-Me for the US will cost Australia dearly

The complaint by Canberra about the latest Chinese military flare-up close to China’s coast is not only hypocritical but highly escalatory.

10 May 2024 - 9:00PM

A Seahawk helicopter prepares to take off from the deck of HMAS Hobart during flying operations while on a regional presence deployment off northern Australia. Photo: AP

US-China relations

Asian nations take steps to cope with geopolitical concern amid US-China rivalry

In this week’s issue of the Global Impact newsletter, we look at how Asian nations have been making moves with an eye on the ever evolving relationship between China and the United States.

6 May 2024 - 2:00PMvideocam

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Photo: Reuters

Pacific nations

Solomon Islands ‘locks in’ China ties with another pro-Beijing prime minister

New prime minister Jeremiah Manele is expected to apply a “lighter touch” to ties with Beijing given the demand for greater transparency.

3 May 2024 - 11:12PMvideocam

Japan

To counter growing Chinese presence, Japan coastguard to train Pacific nations

The Mobile Cooperation Team initiative was first set up in 2017 as part of Tokyo’s efforts to train and equip the coastguards of Southeast Asian nations that felt threatened by China’s presence.

23 Apr 2024 - 1:16PMvideocam

Pacific nations

‘Calling for change’: will Solomon Islands lean closer to China after its polls?

Geopolitics looms large over the polls in Solomon Islands, where Beijing and Washington have been vying for influence for years. But for voters just struggling to make ends meet, Wednesday’s election may be decided by issues much closer to home.

17 Apr 2024 - 10:49AMvideocam

An election parade in Solomon Islands’ capital Honiara on Monday. The political climate in the Pacific nation has been fractious in recent years. Photo: AP

China’s military

Will China’s fourth aircraft carrier steer towards troubled waters in Asia?

The US Navy has an edge over its Chinese counterparts in terms of firepower and access to its supply bases in the region, analysts say.

31 Mar 2024 - 9:30AMvideocam

China’s Shandong aircraft carrier is seen docked at a naval port in Sanya, Hainan province, in 2019. Photo: Xinhua via AP

US-China relations

A US governor in the Pacific plans ‘lonely’ pivot away from China

Long tied to Beijing for tourism and gambling income, Northern Mariana Islands needs more aid from Washington, says governor.

28 Mar 2024 - 10:41AMvideocam

Tourism

Palau luxury cruise, for dazzling coral, white sand beaches, and war relics

The coral islands of Palau in the western Pacific are best visited by boat, and catamaran Four Seasons Explorer offers a new option for visitors to a nation with conservation in its constitution.

25 Mar 2024 - 6:31PMvideocam

US-China relations

Guam’s defence is top priority in Pacific amid China military inroads: Pentagon

Congress hears plea for more funding, speed and capability to protect strategically vital American territory as PLA enhances its missile technology.

22 Mar 2024 - 4:34AMvideocam

Admiral John Aquilino, commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command (right), walks with then-Indonesian Armed Forces Chief General Andika Perkasa during joint military exercises in South Sumatra in 2022. Photo: AFP

Pacific nations

Warily eyeing China’s influence, US talks up US$7.1 billion in Pacific aid

Leaders in the Marshall Islands, Micronesia and Palau had warned that delays could have forced their governments to cut services, and swayed public opinion towards offers of investment from China.

20 Mar 2024 - 3:53PMvideocam

US-China relations

US knew Nauru might cut ties to Taiwan before it did, official says

Daniel Kritenbrink, an assistant secretary of state, tells Senate hearing ‘we had known for some time [of Nauru’s concerns] … in this instance, they decided to flip’.

15 Mar 2024 - 7:59AM

Japan

Japan may be making its biggest security move in the Pacific Islands since WWII

Talks on March 19 are expected to involve Japan’s Self-Defence Forces and police taking part in local and regional responses as well as training.

13 Mar 2024 - 2:22PM

Police work at the site of a damaged building in Port Moresby on January 12 following deadly riots in Papua New Guinea’s capital. Photo: AFP

Pacific nations

US Senate passes funds for Pacific island nations after congressional delays

Deals for Marshall Islands, Micronesia and Palau, intended to counter China’s influence in the region, win passage as part of appropriations package.

9 Mar 2024 - 9:12AMvideocam

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (centre right) with, from left, Marshall Islands Foreign Affairs Minister Jack Ading, Palau’s President Surangel Whipps Jnr and Micronesia’s President Wesley Simina, on September 26, 2023, in Washington. The Senate has approved a bill renewing Compacts of Free Association with the three island nations. Photo: AP

Pacific nations

House Republicans add Pacific nations deals to bill ‘countering Communist China’

A federal budget impasse has hindered funding for the Marshall Islands, Micronesia and Palau as Beijing deepens ties in the strategically vital region.

1 Mar 2024 - 8:04AMvideocam

Pacific nations

US’ funding deadlock may pave the way for more Chinese influence in the Pacific

The lack of urgency is causing alarm inside the United States among those hyper-aware of the speed at which China may step in while Congress dawdles over a small sum of money by aid standards.

21 Feb 2024 - 7:38PM

US-China relations

Palau president raises threat of pivot to Beijing if US aid is delayed further

In letter to US senator, President Surangel Whipps Jnr writes that local leaders want to gain more financial aid from Beijing ‘at the cost of shifting alliances, beginning with sacrificing Taiwan’.

16 Feb 2024 - 9:55AMvideocam

Palau President Surangel Whipps Jnr has urged the US Senate to pass aid that had been pledged by US President Joe Biden last year. Photo: AP

Pacific nations

US still seeks delayed Pacific funds amid China push in region: senior diplomat

‘Critically important to continue to work’ in support of Marshall Islands, Micronesia and Palau, all omitted from US$95 billion foreign aid package.

15 Feb 2024 - 7:30AMvideocam

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (centre right) meets with (from left) Marshall Islands Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Jack Ading, Palauan President Surangel Whipps, Jnr and Micronesian President Wesley Simina at the State Department in Washington on Sept. 26. Photo: AP

Taiwan election 2024

‘What’s next’ as China’s Pacific island diplomatic wins mount?

After Nauru’s diplomatic switch from Taipei, experts are watching for shifts in regional security, balance of power.

4 Feb 2024 - 4:01PMvideocam

Trending in China

New discovery suggests first Austronesian people inhabited area beyond Taiwan

Archaeologists discovered evidence of a very early Austronesian society on an island off the coast of China, expanding original ideas about where they lived.

23 Dec 2023 - 2:00PM

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Micronesia

Super Typhoon Sinlakua bears down on group of remote US islands in Pacific Ocean

Trump has approved emergency help for Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, where Sinlakua is expected to make landfall on Tuesday.

China’s rebuilding of Micronesian airport runway raises alarm in US

A ‘ghost fleet’ of Japan’s rusting WWII wrecks is poisoning this Pacific paradise

Japan dives deep in race for rare earths, stirring a green backlash

While rich mineral deposits promise centuries of supply, critics argue Japan’s deep-ocean venture risks an irreversible ‘race to the bottom’.

Most Pacific island women don’t work. The World Bank wants to change that

Outdated laws and social norms keep 57 per cent of working-age women across the Pacific out of the labour force, the bank says.

.css-1pcrwvc{color:#2aa191;}My Take | The United States, not China, turns out to be the real bogeyman

The significance of Trump’s tariffs is that they have destroyed the credibility of America on which its global alliances have long depended.

My Take | Donald Trump’s tariff madness targets not only allies but animals

Penguins, seals and seabirds have not been spared in America’s global trade war, likewise territories with significant US or allied military assets.

Japan talks with Pacific islands focus on climate, security issues take back seat

Among the areas of concern highlighted by Pacific island nations was Japan’s release of treated radioactive water.

My Take | International court prosecutor rises to historic occasion

In applying for arrest warrants for top leaders of Israel and Hamas, Karim Khan of the International Criminal Court has stood up for global justice and international law against the manipulated so-called rules-based order.

My Take | Playing defence Mini-Me for the US will cost Australia dearly

The complaint by Canberra about the latest Chinese military flare-up close to China’s coast is not only hypocritical but highly escalatory.

Asian nations take steps to cope with geopolitical concern amid US-China rivalry

In this week’s issue of the Global Impact newsletter, we look at how Asian nations have been making moves with an eye on the ever evolving relationship between China and the United States.

Solomon Islands ‘locks in’ China ties with another pro-Beijing prime minister

New prime minister Jeremiah Manele is expected to apply a “lighter touch” to ties with Beijing given the demand for greater transparency.

To counter growing Chinese presence, Japan coastguard to train Pacific nations

The Mobile Cooperation Team initiative was first set up in 2017 as part of Tokyo’s efforts to train and equip the coastguards of Southeast Asian nations that felt threatened by China’s presence.

‘Calling for change’: will Solomon Islands lean closer to China after its polls?

Geopolitics looms large over the polls in Solomon Islands, where Beijing and Washington have been vying for influence for years. But for voters just struggling to make ends meet, Wednesday’s election may be decided by issues much closer to home.

Will China’s fourth aircraft carrier steer towards troubled waters in Asia?

The US Navy has an edge over its Chinese counterparts in terms of firepower and access to its supply bases in the region, analysts say.

A US governor in the Pacific plans ‘lonely’ pivot away from China

Long tied to Beijing for tourism and gambling income, Northern Mariana Islands needs more aid from Washington, says governor.

Palau luxury cruise, for dazzling coral, white sand beaches, and war relics

The coral islands of Palau in the western Pacific are best visited by boat, and catamaran Four Seasons Explorer offers a new option for visitors to a nation with conservation in its constitution.

Guam’s defence is top priority in Pacific amid China military inroads: Pentagon

Congress hears plea for more funding, speed and capability to protect strategically vital American territory as PLA enhances its missile technology.

Warily eyeing China’s influence, US talks up US$7.1 billion in Pacific aid

Leaders in the Marshall Islands, Micronesia and Palau had warned that delays could have forced their governments to cut services, and swayed public opinion towards offers of investment from China.

US knew Nauru might cut ties to Taiwan before it did, official says

Daniel Kritenbrink, an assistant secretary of state, tells Senate hearing ‘we had known for some time [of Nauru’s concerns] … in this instance, they decided to flip’.

Japan may be making its biggest security move in the Pacific Islands since WWII

Talks on March 19 are expected to involve Japan’s Self-Defence Forces and police taking part in local and regional responses as well as training.

US Senate passes funds for Pacific island nations after congressional delays

Deals for Marshall Islands, Micronesia and Palau, intended to counter China’s influence in the region, win passage as part of appropriations package.

House Republicans add Pacific nations deals to bill ‘countering Communist China’

A federal budget impasse has hindered funding for the Marshall Islands, Micronesia and Palau as Beijing deepens ties in the strategically vital region.

US’ funding deadlock may pave the way for more Chinese influence in the Pacific

The lack of urgency is causing alarm inside the United States among those hyper-aware of the speed at which China may step in while Congress dawdles over a small sum of money by aid standards.

Palau president raises threat of pivot to Beijing if US aid is delayed further

In letter to US senator, President Surangel Whipps Jnr writes that local leaders want to gain more financial aid from Beijing ‘at the cost of shifting alliances, beginning with sacrificing Taiwan’.

US still seeks delayed Pacific funds amid China push in region: senior diplomat

‘Critically important to continue to work’ in support of Marshall Islands, Micronesia and Palau, all omitted from US$95 billion foreign aid package.

‘What’s next’ as China’s Pacific island diplomatic wins mount?

After Nauru’s diplomatic switch from Taipei, experts are watching for shifts in regional security, balance of power.

New discovery suggests first Austronesian people inhabited area beyond Taiwan

Archaeologists discovered evidence of a very early Austronesian society on an island off the coast of China, expanding original ideas about where they lived.

My Take | The United States, not China, turns out to be the real bogeyman