Beijing Eyes Pacific Islands, Exploiting U.S. Strategic Vacuum

In January, White House Asia tsar Kurt Campbell gave a public talk declaring that the Pacific Islands were the part of the Indo-Pacific most likely to witness a “strategic surprise” over the “next year or two.” It was an odd statement. That Beijing aims to develop dual-use facilities or military bases in the Pacific Ocean should surprise no one, as I wrote in Foreign Policy at the time, pointing to the various options China has been exploring in the region, including Manus Island in Papua New Guinea, Blackrock in Fiji, and Luganville wharf in...