David Brunnstrom and Michael Martina

WASHINGTON (Reuters] – The special envoy of President Joe Biden to talks with the three small but strategically significant Pacific islands nations will be leading a delegation next week to the Marshall Islands amid increasing U.S. concerns about China’s attempts to increase its power in the area.

Biden’s veteran diplomat Joseph Yun told Reuters that he and his staff would be visiting the Marshall Islands starting June 14-16.

According to a spokesperson from the U.S. State Department, Yun will hold discussions on the Compact of Free Association. COFA governs U.S. Economic Assistance for the Republic of the Marshall Islands. It expires next year.

United States have similar agreements with Palau (Federated States of Micronesia) and Palau (FSM), which will expire in 2023/24, respectively. Yun also handles those negotiations.

The spokesperson for the State Department stated that they were happy to meet in person with RMI’s negotiating team, and looked forward to constructive talks.

Washington has made the Pacific islands a major front in its strategic rivalry with China. China has increased diplomatic efforts to win over countries within the region.

Biden and Jacinda, New Zealand’s Prime Minster, expressed shared concern last week over China’s attempts to extend its reach in the Pacific. An American official claimed that the two discussed the importance of engaging in person with Pacific Island leader.

The Solomon Islands were also concerned about the recent security agreement with China. [nL3N2XJ0FO]

The virtual meeting was hosted in Fiji by Wang Yi the Chinese Foreign Minister. Ten Pacific foreign ministers agreed that they would defer considering a Chinese offer for a broad trade and security arrangement.

Samoa’s leader indicated that it was necessary to discuss the pact at a regional gathering before decisions can be made.

While talks began to renew U.S. COFA deals with Palau and FSM in the Trump Administration, they stalled prior Yun’s arrival, raising concern that Washington might lose its fight for influence over Beijing.

Remuneration, climate-change mitigation and the existence of U.S. military bases are key issues facing the Marshall Islands.

One source familiar with the plans said the talks would be held at the U.S. Army Garrison – Kwajalein Atoll, site of a crucial U.S. missile testing facility, and were a sign that Yun’s appointment had injected greater momentum into the Biden administration’s engagement with Pacific Island countries.

Yun has already held meetings with leaders from the three countries and held virtual talks to the FSM negotiating team, according to a source. However, this Marshall Islands trip will mark the beginning of in-person negotiations, as they had been largely stopped in December 2020.

Sources said that Wang’s recent visits to the area had raised a sense for urgency among U.S. government officials.

The person stated that “I believe it focused more attention from people not very involved”, adding that Pentagon personnel had been getting more involved with the COFA process.

Between 1946 and 1958, the United States conducted 67 nuke weapons testing in Marshall Islands. Survivors are still suffering from the effects on their health and the environment.

These tests were made with the “Castle Bravo”, a U.S. nuclear bomb that was tested at Bikini Atoll, in 1954. It is 1,000 times stronger than the one that decimated Hiroshima in 1945.