Shania Shayal Prasad 
[Photo Credit: PIFS]
With China increasing its influence, the Pacific Islands Forum is warning smaller nations to safeguard their sovereignty in new partnerships.
PIF Secretary-General Baron Waqa emphasizes that these deals must meet the unique needs of Pacific island countries.
This comes as the United States is cutting down crucial aid, including funding for the PIF, putting island nations at risk of making decisions and deals without considering the full implications.
Waqa is urging PIF members to ensure that all decisions should reflect their own priorities and not be dictated by outside interests.
“But with the Chinese, those are done bilaterally at the moment. We try our best to make sure that there’s no real build-up of anything, especially in the military. But we’ve seen some initiatives that come through the Secretariat, and some are still firming themselves up with the region, like the Australian policing and others as well.”
Waqa also stresses that it is crucial to ensure that the voices of these nations remain central to the dialogue.
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