U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) on April 19 introduced bipartisan legislation that would officially establish the position of special envoy to the Pacific Islands Forum, an international organization of Australia, New Zealand and Pacific Island nations established in 1971 to hasten economic growth, social progress, cultural development, and regional peace and stability in the Pacific region.
The U.S. and Pacific Islands Forum Partnership Act, S. 1220, is sponsored by U.S. Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) and 12 original cosponsors, including Sen. Cassidy and U.S. Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Brian Schatz (D-HI) to promote diplomacy and to combat increased aggression in the Pacific by the Chinese Communist Party, according to a bill summary provided by the lawmakers.
“China is attempting to undermine Western values and economic ties to use for their own advantage and to the disadvantage of the United States and everyone else who values freedom,” Sen. Cassidy said. “We stand up for freedom; this bill supports that.”
The text of the bill states that the United States seeks to maintain and further develop a constructive and cordial relationship with the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) and its member nations, including the Freely Associated States (the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, and Palau), which have special economic and security ties with the U.S.
Additionally, the U.S. seeks to contribute to regional stability in the Pacific region through assistance efforts to combat illegal fishing, enhance maritime security, build resilient infrastructure, and promote sound, just, and responsive governance within the Pacific region to empower citizens, help combat corruption, and strengthen nations’ autonomy, the text says.
“Beijing is putting more economic and diplomatic pressure on the Pacific Island states each day, and one of the clearest and easiest steps that Congress can take to counter this communist antagonism is to establish a special envoy to the Pacific Islands Forum,” said Sen. Kennedy.
Beijing has already established a special envoy to the PIF, according to the lawmakers’ summary, and during the previous session of Congress, the U.S. appointed an equivalent counterpart, but the position isn’t currently cemented in law. That would be changed under S. 1220, which has been referred to the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee for consideration.