Concerns about proximity to China; The US President called a meeting of the Pacific nations

 Washington: US President Joe Biden convened a meeting of 12 Pacific Island countries that have signed a security agreement with China in Washington.

According to the US Broadcasting Corporation, President Joe Biden will host a meeting in Washington on September 28-29 to which the heads of the Pacific Island countries have been invited.

The White House said in a statement that the summit will take steps to broaden and strengthen cooperation on key issues such as climate change, pandemics, economic recovery, maritime security, environmental protection, including making the Pacific Ocean free and safe for trade convoys. will be considered.

It should be noted that the US President has called a meeting of these Pacific Island countries when these countries signed a security agreement with China in April this year and the US is deeply concerned about China's growing influence in the region.

The statement released by the White House also said that the heads of state invited include the Solomon Islands, Micronesia, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, Samoa, Tonga, and the Federated States of Fiji. Also included are the Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau and Tuvalu.

The White House has not yet provided details on how many of the invited countries have accepted the invitation and confirmed their participation in the meeting. China has yet to comment.