China Calls U.S. Claim It Coerces Pacific Islands in New Report ‘Nonsense’

A Chinese official has rejected the United States’ accusation featured in a new White House strategy document that Beijing employs pressure on Pacific island nations. The 16-paged document, entitled “Pacific Partnership Strategy of the United States” and obtained by Newsweek, details a push by the Biden administration to forge stronger influence in a region that “spans nearly 15 percent of the Earth’s surface — part of an ‘ocean continent’ eight times the size of the United States.” The strategy includes four major objectives, including building “a strong U.S.-Pacific partnership,” achieving a “united Pacific islands region connected to the world,” realizing…