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NADI, Fiji — Antony J. Blinken, the first US secretary of state to visit Fiji in 36 years, wanted to make it clear that flying here to meet with Pacific island leaders was just the beginning of an expanding American presence.

“We see our long-term future in the Indo-Pacific,” Mr. Blinken said at a press conference Saturday night, standing next to Fiji’s acting leader. “It’s that simple and simple.”

Mr Blinken said the US will soon open an embassy in another Pacific country, the Solomon Islands. Promised more American assistance on climate change, Covid vaccines and illegal fishing; all of which are vital for the region.

In essence, however, the commitments reflected America’s concerns about China and Beijing’s attempt to compete in a sparsely populated but strategically important area where it was expanding its influence.

Fiji’s acting prime minister, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, welcomed the renewed American engagement. America is uniquely positioned to be Fiji’s direct partner for peace and climate security,” he said. “We need the American power and mind, leading solutions and investments.”

The Pacific island nations of Hawaii are spread over a wide area between Asia and Australia. They value their sovereignty and want to be seen as autonomous actors. Yet, like many other small nations, they are increasingly trapped in the global rivalry between the United States and China.

“While there are significant differences between Pacific island nations, there is a clear understanding that they are in an intensifying geopolitical rivalry, even if they do not agree,” said senior lecturer and Pacific security officer Iati Iati. Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand.

Island nations are diverse, but they have common concerns: slowing sea level rise, which threatens to suffocate their low-lying lands; protect fisheries and ocean resources that bring them food and income; involving the spread of Covid-19; and strengthen their own infrastructure, investment and management.

Fiji was the second stop of Mr. Blinken’s tour of the region for a week that showed Asia-Pacific being in Asia-Pacific. primary focus President Biden’s foreign policy

Leaving Australia for Fiji, the White House published an 18-page article on the so-called Indo-Pacific strategy, emphasizing the need to “shape the strategic environment” in which China operates. According to the document, this includes promoting democratic institutions and civil society in the region, as well as helping countries “deploy advanced warfare capabilities”.

The United States has long had an uninterrupted presence in Pacific island chains. American troops, World War II. It built airports and hospitals while fighting Japan in the region in World War II, but the United States generally retreated, especially after South Pacific countries like Fiji.

“The truth is they haven’t been in this space for a long time,” Sayed-Khaiyum said in an interview.

Under President Donald J. Trump, US officials overseeing Asian policy said they feared that China would use the promise of prosperity as well as forcing certain islands to bring them under their influence and establish military bases in the region. Japan almost a century ago.

They said this would hamper the American military’s ability to jump onto the island and deploy forces quickly to Asia in the event of a war.

Biden administration officials also say they are concerned about China’s military and security plans for the region.

Violent protests broke out in the Solomon Islands in November.Beijing has trained officials for many years with loans, aid, and favors, causing some state leaders to be disappointed with the casual relationship. Four people were killed during protests in the capital Honiara, and many Pacific island nations with a growing Chinese presence are worried that tensions may escalate elsewhere, often referred to as “the capture of the elite” – that is, a power like Beijing is essentially buying influence with China. politicians and business leaders.

American officials, both Republican and Democratic, have expressed concern that one of the main ways China can gain leverage in the region is through what they call “debt trap diplomacy”: lending money after turning attention to decision-makers, then making demands on governments. struggle to pay back.

For countries that are often seen as mere dots on the map, China’s interests have been difficult to resist. When Chinese leader Xi Jinping visited the capital of Fiji in 2014 and addressed many of the regional leaders, he promised friendship and infrastructure, encouraging them to get on the “Chinese express development train.”

Many did. Major construction projects followed on roads, port improvements and sports stadiums, many of which were linked to heavy debt. In Suva, the capital of Fiji, bridge to main market rebuilt With funding from China’s so-called Belt and Road Initiative. Queen Elizabeth Drive, the coastal road that runs past major government buildings (and China’s new embassy), is being repaired by a Chinese state-owned engineering firm.

But there are signs that enthusiasm is waning. The Fijian government recently halted construction of what will become Suva’s tallest building: Wanguo Friendship Plaza, an apartment tower built by a private Chinese company. This is an empty shell; Fiji halted development amid complaints falling rubble and other problems.

“The honeymoon is over,” said Jonathan Pryke, director of the Pacific Islands program at the Lowy Institute in Sydney, Australia.

America’s main regional allies, Australia and New Zealand, stepped up their efforts on the islands with aid and investment. Telstra, Australia’s largest telecommunications company, agreed a few months ago Purchasing Pacific operations of Digicel, the region’s largest mobile phone network, in a deal funded by the Australian government.

But island governments are turning to larger powers for help on climate change. Global warming has resulted in rapidly rising waters and an increase in devastating storms around the islands.

“While people are still recovering from one hurricane, we have another hurricane,” said Frances Namoumu, head of climate justice programs at the Conference of Churches of the Pacific in Suva. “The frequent occurrence of these catastrophic effects, exacerbated by climate change – is what we know.”

In his comments after meeting via video with Pacific leaders on Saturday, Mr. Blinken described climate change as a security threat, as did Fijian officials. They argued that the most important thing the United States could do was make it easier for Pacific countries to access money to prepare for and respond to climate disasters.

Critics worry that despite much talk about climate resilience, Americans may focus on the more traditional element of military security.

“There’s often a notion that American security interests are paramount, and once you know that, it’s just about selling it to people who occupy lands and ports,” said Richard Herr, an American law professor at the University of Tasmania. Adviser to Pacific governments for decades.

“But the islanders’ first priority has always been development – the brass ring of a brighter future for themselves and their children,” he added. “They don’t look through the safety lens.”

One of the most tangible elements of American strategy for the Pacific islands includes the docking of Coast Guard vessels under “ship-ship” agreements that allow local authorities to board American vessels and enforce local and international fishing laws.

Besides security concerns, the decision to open an embassy in the Solomon Islands seems to stem from another problem often identified by critics of US involvement in the region: a lack of diplomatic resources.

The US embassies in Fiji and Australia both do not have permanent ambassadors, in part because Republicans in Congress delayed Mr Biden’s appointments. American political dysfunction in Asia is seen as a hindrance to American efforts abroad; islanders will watch how quickly Washington can bring an ambassador and a large staff to the Solomon Islands and how soon Mr. Blinken’s visit and promises will produce measurable results.

“The really good thing is that they have stepped into space now,” said Fiji’s acting prime minister, Mr Sayed-Khaiyum, after meeting with Mr Blinken. “We know they won’t be able to do this overnight, but there seems to be a very strong philosophical commitment.”