Wednesday, December 12, 2018

Pacific Islands

Bougainville
- http://www.economist.com/news/asia/21720327-first-pacific-island-may-choose-stay-part-france-second-could-split-papua  Bougainville is supposed to vote on separation from Papua New Guinea in 2019. 

Polynesia (UK: /ˌpɒlᵻˈniziə/; US: /ˌpɑːləˈniʒə/, from Greek: πολύς "poly" many + Greek: νῆσος "nēsos" island) is a subregion of Oceania, made up of over 1,000 islands scattered over the central and southern Pacific Ocean. The indigenous people who inhabit the islands of Polynesia are termed Polynesians and they share many similar traits including language family, culture, and beliefs. Historically, they were experienced sailors and used stars to navigate during the night. The term "Polynesia" was first used in 1756 by French writer Charles de Brosses, and originally applied to all the islands of the Pacific. In 1831, Jules Dumont d'Urville proposed a restriction on its use during a lecture to the Geographical Society of Paris. Historically, these islands have also been referred to as the South Sea Islands.
- language

  • [encyclopedia of asian food the definitive guide to asian cookery by charmaine solomon] where consonants seem to be in short supply, each vowel is given its full value and pronounced separately, as in luau, though sometimes they are run together as a diphthong.  AI rhymes with "why"; AU rhymes with "wow"; EI rhymes with "way"; OI rhymes with "toy"

French Polynesia (/ˈfrɛntʃ pɒlᵻˈniːʒə/; French: Polynésie française [pɔlinezi fʁɑ̃sɛz]; Tahitian: Pōrīnetia Farāni) is an overseas collectivity of the French Republic;collectivité d'outre-mer de la République française (COM), sometimes unofficially referred to as an overseas country; pays d'outre-mer (POM). It is composed of 118 geographically dispersed islands and atolls stretching over an expanse of more than 2,000 kilometres (1,200 mi) in the South Pacific Ocean. Its total land area is 4,167 square kilometres (1,609 sq mi). French Polynesia is divided into five groups of islands: The Society Islands archipelago composed of the Windward Islands and the Leeward Islands, the Tuamotu Archipelago, the Gambier Islands, the Marquesas Islands and the Austral Islands. Among its 118 islands and atolls, 67 are inhabited. Tahiti, which is located within theSociety Islands, is the most populous island and the seat of the capital of the collectivity, Pape'ete. It has more than 68% of the population of the islands in 2012. Although not an integral part of its territory, Clipperton Island was administered from French Polynesia until 2007. Following the Great Polynesian Migration, European explorers visited the islands of French Polynesia on several occasions. Traders and whaling ships also visited. In 1842, the French took over the islands and established a French protectorate they called Etablissements des français en Océanie (EFO) (French Establishments/Settlements in Oceania).
In 1946, the EFOs became an overseas territory under the constitution of the French Fourth Republic, and Polynesians were granted the right to vote through citizenship. In 1957, the EFOs were renamed French Polynesia. Since 28 March 2003, French Polynesia has been an overseas collectivity of the French Republic under the constitutional revision of article 74, and later gained, with law 2004-192 of 27 February 2004, an administrative autonomy; two symbolic manifestations of which are the title of the President of French Polynesia and its additional designation as an overseas country.
  • hkej 23sep16 shum article


Melanesia (UK: /ˌmɛləˈniːziə/; US: /ˌmɛləˈniːʒə/) is a subregion of Oceania (and occasionallyAustralasia) extending from the western end of the Pacific Ocean to the Arafura Sea, and eastward to Fiji. The region includes the four countries of
  •  馬萊塔島  Malaita is the primary island of Malaita Province in Solomon Islands. The largest city and provincial capital is Auki, on the northwest coast and is on the northern shore of the Langa Langa Lagoon.[2] The people of the Langa Langa Lagoon and the Lau Lagoon on the northeast coast of Malaita call themselves wane i asi ‘salt-water people’ as distinct from wane i tolo ‘bush people’ who live in the interior of the island.South Malaita Island, also known as Small Malaita and Maramasike for Areare speakers and Malamweimwei known to more than 80% of the islanders, is the island at the southern tip of the larger island of Malaita.
  •  https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/sep/02/solomon-islands-province-announces-independence-vote-amid-china-tensions The internal division over China policy falls along similar cultural, ethnic and political fault lines that led to civil unrest in Solomon Islands between 1998 and 2003, resulting in a fourteen year Australian-led peacekeeping mission which concluded in 2017.

    In September last year, Solomon Islands’ national government, led by four-time prime minister Manasseh Sogavare, ended a 36-year alliance with Taiwan and instead normalised ties with Beijing.Malaitans protested against the national government’s decision at the time, citing China’s animus towards Christians and an undemocratic political system. A deeply religious island, Malaita had enjoyed close ties with Taiwan over decades.Malaita For Democracy, an independence movement supportive of Taiwan and with links to Suidani, has called for anti-China protests on the island’s capital, Auki, and for all Chinese businesses – many of the small ethnic Chinese community in Malaita are shopkeepers – to leave the province within 24 hours. The unrest in Malaita is being followed closely by Taiwanese diplomats formerly stationed in Honiara, who were forced to leave Solomon Islands when Honiara switched to Beijing. The Pacific was once a bastion of Taiwanese support, but Taipei can now only count on four Pacific Island nations as allies, after Solomon Islands and Kiribati switched recognition to Beijing last year.

  • kira kira 基拉基拉
  •  Since the beginning of 2013, Australian final year medical students have been completing placements on KiraKira from Bond University. In 2014 Bond University received funding from the Australian Government, through Health workforce Australia to allow Physiotherapy, Urban Design and Nutrition Students to also complete work placements in Kirakira. The project has been very successful and for the last four years has continued to receive support from the Australian Government through the New Colombo Plan. In 2018 the project is to be expanded to included Law Students. 
  •  The Diocese of Hanuato'o is one of the nine current dioceses of the Anglican Church of Melanesia; it was erected in 1991 and inaugurated at St George's Church, Kirakira on St Peter's Day, 29 June 1991. 
 [太平洋島嶼的智慧] 奎欧人
  • like chinese, worship ancestors; has a special house stacking skulls of ancestors
  • believed in Adaro 
  • malevolent merman-like sea spirits found in the mythology of the Solomon Islands. Adaro is a unique creature that lived in the Pacific Ocean. The Adaro is very dangerous. Said to arise from the wicked part of a person's spirit, which is divided between the Aunga (good) which dies, and the Adaro (evil) which stays as a ghost.[2] An adaro is described as a man with gills behind his ears, tail fins for feet, a horn like a shark's dorsal fin, and a swordfish or sawfish-like spear growing out of his head. They may also travel in Jaratep or Daretep waterspouts and along rainbows and are said to kill unwary fishermen by firing flying fish at them.
  • newspaper

  • usa
  •  所羅門群島周一宣布與台灣斷交，改與中國大陸建交。 英媒昨日報道，美國副總統彭斯決定取消原定下周在紐約聯合國大會期間，與所國總理索加瓦雷的會面。https://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/china_world/20190919/00178_004.html
  •  所羅門群島政府近日決定與台灣斷交，並與中國大陸建交。美國國際開發署（USAID）官員周三表示，美國正重新評估對所國的援助。https://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/china_world/20190920/00178_005.html 

  •  china
  •  中國中鐵於上周四以八億二千五百萬美元（約六十四億三千五百萬港元），投得所國的金嶺金礦工程項目。https://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/china_world/20190921/00178_004.html
  •  9月21日，中國國務委員兼外交部長王毅同所羅門群島外長馬內萊在北京舉行會談並簽署《中華人民共和國和所羅門群島關於建立外交關係的聯合公報》。自公報簽署之日起，兩國相互承認並建立大使級外交關係。http://paper.takungpao.com/resfile/PDF/20190922/PDF/a11_screen.pdf
  •  中國國家主席習近平9 日在釣魚台國賓館會見所羅門群島總理 索加瓦雷。http://paper.takungpao.com/resfile/PDF/20191010/PDF/a9_screen.pdf
  •  美媒周三披露，所羅門群島圖拉吉省政府上月與一間中國國企簽下秘密協議，交出圖拉吉島嶼及周邊島嶼的七十五年獨家開發權，引發當地居民擔憂島嶼將步瓦努阿圖後塵，成為大陸軍事基地。簽署協議的省政府澄清，協議尚未完成及蓋章落實。《紐約時報》引述消息人士報道，該份可續簽的七十五年租約在九月二十二日簽署，簽署華企為總部位於北京的中國森田企業集團（China Sam Enterprise Group）。https://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/china_world/20191018/00178_004.html
  • scmp 26oct19 solomon islands govt says china lease illegal; economist 26oct19 "island shipping" 
  • taiwan
  •  所國外長馬涅勒（Jeremiah Manele）訪問台灣，周一分別與蔡英文總統、台外長吳釗燮會面。綠營指所國派高官訪台，是要釋放雙方關係牢固的信號。但有媒體提出質疑，因為中美洲國家薩爾瓦多去年八月與台斷交前，也曾派人訪台。外媒早前報道，所國國內就是否與台斷交仍有分歧，目前傾向大陸的主要是通訊及航空部長夏爾奈（Peter Shanel），另一派國會議員則主張與台維持邦交。https://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/china_world/20190910/00178_008.html
  •  南太平洋島國所羅門群島周一（16日）召開內閣會議，決定中斷與台灣的外交關係，與中國大陸建交。這是民進黨政府自二○一六年上台後，第六個與台灣斷交的國家。台灣目前只剩下十六個邦交國，外交部長吳釗燮請辭。https://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/china_world/20190917/00178_001.html
  • chinese
  • honiara's chinastown district
  • economist 4may19 "solomon's choice" on apr24 riots broke out in capital honiara after MPs met to pick a PM, as happened 13 years ago.  Outside parliament, angry youths again denounced the outcome.  When their protests went unheeded, they descended on honiara's chinatown district and smashed up the pacific casino hotel, just as they had in 2006. 
Besides these independent countries, Melanesia also includes
  • Kanak (French spelling until 1984: Canaque) are the indigenous Melanesian inhabitants of New Caledonia, an overseas collectivity of France in the southwest Pacific. New Caledonia was annexed to France in 1853, and became an overseas territory of France in 1956. An independence movement led to a failed revolt in 1967, and was restarted in 1984, pursuing total independence status from the French rule. The word 'Kanak' is derived from kanaka maoli, a Hawaiian word which was at one time applied indiscriminately by European explorers, traders and missionaries in Oceania to any non-European Pacific islander.[6] Prior to European contact, there were no unified states in New Caledonia, and no single self-appellation used to refer to its inhabitants. Other words have been coined from Kanak in the past few generations: Kanaky is an ethno-political name for the island or the entire territory.[7] Kanéka is a musical genre associated with the Kanak, stylistically a form of reggae with added flutes, percussion and harmonies. Kaneka often has political lyrics and is sung in Drehu, Paici or other Melanesian languages, or in French. The word "kanak" is grammatically invariable. The German racial epithet Kanake — which is now applied to all non-whites, even southern Europeans in some cases, and especially to Turkishimmigrants — also derives from the same source, and was originally applied to people from German colonial possessions in Oceania.
  •  https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-46087053 Voters in the French Pacific territory of New Caledonia are taking part in a referendum on whether to remain part of France or become independent. The vote was promised as part of a deal two decades ago after a violent campaign by separatists from the indigenous Kanak people. Pro-independence groups have urged Kanak voters to throw off the "shackles of colonial authorities" in Paris. However, polls suggest a majority of voters will reject independence.
  •   The Dani people, also spelled Ndani, and sometimes conflated with the Lani group to the west, are a people from the central highlands of western New Guinea(the Indonesian province of Papua). They are one of the most populous tribes in the highlands, and are found spread out through the highlands. The Dani are one of the most well-known ethnic groups in Papua, due to the relatively numerous tourists who visit the Baliem Valley area where they predominate. "Ndani" is the name given to the Baliem Valleypeople by the Moni people, and, while they don't call themselves Dani, they have been known as such since the 1926 Smithsonian Institution-Dutch Colonial Government expedition to New Guinea under Matthew Stirling who visited the Moni.
  • green hub of Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden invited an elder of dani tribe to give a talk em 23jan19
The name Melanesia (in French "Mélanésie" from the Greek μέλας, black, and νῆσος, islands) was first used by Jules Dumont d'Urville in 1832 to denote an ethnic and geographical grouping of islands whose inhabitants he thought were distinct from those of Micronesia andPolynesia.
- solomon islands
  • Malaita
  •  Langa Langa Lagoon or Akwalaafu is a natural lagoon on the West coast of Malaita near the provincial capital Auki within the Solomon Islands. The lagoon is 21 km in length and just under 1 km wide. The "lagoon people" or "salt water people" live on small artificial islands built up on sand bars over time where they were forced to flee from the headhunters of mainland Malaita.Langa in Solomons Pijin language means "along" or long.
  • Kwaio people
  • Vocabs and taboos (from youtube video "the tribe that cursed too much - linguistics behind oceanic taboos"
  • Mae - fight
  •  Bata - money
  • I'a- fish
  • Ele / dunga (avoid taboo) - fire
  • 'afe  - wife

  • china
  • ft 19oct18 china timber demand threaten solomons forest
Micronesia (from Greek: μικρός, mikrós, "small" + Greek:νῆσος, nêsos, "island") is a subregion of Oceania, comprising thousands of small islands in the westernPacific Ocean. It has a shared cultural history with two other island regions, Polynesia to the east and Melanesiato the south. The region has a tropical marine climate, and is part of theOceania ecozone. There are four main archipelagos along with numerous outlying islands. Micronesia is divided politically among several sovereign countries. One of these is the Federated States of Micronesia, which is usually also called "Micronesia" for short and is not to be confused with the overall region. The Micronesia region encompasses five sovereign, independent nations—theFederated States of Micronesia, Palau, Kiribati,Marshall Islands, and Nauru—and as well as three U.S. territories in the northern part:Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, and Wake Island. Micronesia began to be settled several millennia ago, although there are competing theories about the origin and arrival of the first settlers. The earliest known contact with Europeans occurred in 1521, when Ferdinand Magellan reached the Marianas. The coinage of the term "Micronesia" is usually attributed toJules Dumont d'Urville's usage in 1832, however Domeny de Rienzi had used the term a year previously.
- 楚克  Chuuk State (also known as Truk) is one of the four states of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). Chuuk Lagoon (also previously known as Truk Lagoon) is a sheltered body of water in the central Pacific. About 1,800 kilometres (1,100 miles) north-east of New Guinea, it is located mid-ocean at 7 degrees North latitude, and is part of Chuuk State within the Federated States of Micronesia. Chuuk means mountain in the Chuukese language. 
  • The first recorded sighting by Europeans was made by Spanish navigator Álvaro de Saavedra on board of the ship Florida during August or September 1528.[5] They were later visited by Spaniard Alonso de Arellano on 15 January 1565 on board of galleon patache San Lucas.As part of the Caroline Islands, Truk was claimed by the Spanish Empire, which made an effort to control the islands in the late 19th century. Chuuk lagoon was then inhabited by several tribes that engaged in intermittent warfare, as well as a small population of foreign traders and missionaries. Spanish control over the islands was nominal. The Spaniards stopped to raise a flag over Chuuk in 1886, and returned in 1895 as part of an attempt to assert control and negotiate peace between warring Chuukese tribes. No permanent Spanish settlement was ever established, and tribal violence continued until the German colonial era. The Caroline Islands were sold to the German Empire in accordance with the German–Spanish Treaty (1899), after the Kingdom of Spain withdrew from the Pacific in the aftermath of the Spanish–American War.Chuuk then became a possession of the Empire of Japan under a mandate from the League of Nations following Germany's defeat in World War I.
- 波纳佩（Pohnpei），又譯澎貝  Pohnpei State[needs IPA] is one of the four states of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). The other states are, from the east to west, Kosrae State, Chuuk State, and Yap State. The state's principal island is Pohnpei.

  • [太平洋島嶼的智慧] 加羅林群島上有兩處巨石建築,其中規模最大、最壯觀的在離波納佩島東部海岸的梅塔拉尼姆港(Metalanim Hantour)以南不遠的礁湖上。There are man-made islands connected by canals (like venice); another set of stone structure in lela island

- https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/geopolitics/article/2182752/us-china-battle-dominance-extends-across-pacific-above-and
- Kiribati (/ˈkiriˌbɛs/ KIRR-i-BES or /ˌkɪrɪˈbɑːti/ KIRR-i-BAHT-ee), officially the Republic of Kiribati (Gilbertese: Ribaberiki Kiribati), is a country in the central Pacific Ocean. The permanent population is just over 110,000 (2015), more than half of whom live on Tarawa Atoll. The nation comprises 33 atolls and reef islands and one raised coral island, Banaba. They have a total land area of 800 square kilometres (310 sq mi) and are dispersed over 3.5 million square kilometres (1.3 million square miles). Their spread straddles both the equator and the 180th meridian, although the International Date Line goes round Kiribati and swings far to the east, almost reaching the 150°W meridian. This brings the Line Islands into the same day as the Kiribati Islands. Kiribati's easternmost islands, the southern Line Islands, south of Hawaii, have the most advanced time on Earth: UTC+14 hours. Kiribati became independent from the United Kingdom in 1979. The capital and now most populated area, South Tarawa, consists of a number of islets, connected by a series of causeways. These comprise about half the area of Tarawa Atoll. Kiribati is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, the IMF and the World Bank, and became a full member of the United Nations in 1999.The name Kiribati was adopted at independence. It is the local enunciation of Gilberts. This name derives from the main archipelago that forms the nation. It was named the Gilbert Islands after the British explorer Thomas Gilbert. He sighted many of the islands in 1788 while mapping out the Outer Passage route from Port Jackson to Canton. The Kiribati archipelago was named Îles Gilbert (Gilbert Islands in English), in about 1820, by Russian admiral Adam von Krusenstern and French captain Louis Duperrey. Both their maps, published in 1820, were written in French. In English, the archipelago was often referred to as the Kingsmills in the 19th century, although the name Gilbert Islands was used increasingly, including in the Western Pacific Order in Council of 1877. The name Gilbert was incorporated into the name of the entire Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony from 1916, and was retained after the Ellice Islands became the separate nation of Tuvalu in 1976. The spelling of Gilberts in the Gilbertese language as Kiribati may be found in books in Gilbertese prepared by missionaries and others (see e.g. Hawaiian Board of Missionaries, 1895). It is often suggested that the indigenous name for the Gilbert Islands proper is Tungaru (see e.g. Arthur Grimble, 1989[15]). However, the name Kiribati was chosen as the name of the new independent nation by local consensus, on such grounds that it was modern[clarification needed],[16] and to acknowledge the inclusion of islands (e.g. the Phoenix Group and Line Islands), which were never considered part of the Tungaru (or Gilberts) chain. The pronunciation differs: Kiribas is the official pronunciation as ti in Kiribatese makes an s sound.
  • Biketawa is one of the twenty-four small islets which comprise the atoll of Tarawa in the Republic of Kiribati. The capital of Kiribati, South Tarawa, is located on Tarawa. The 2000 Biketawa Declaration on Pacific regional security takes its name from Biketawa.
  • 新西蘭救援協調中心上周六表示，基里巴斯一艘載有約五十人、從諾諾烏蒂環礁出發前往首都塔拉瓦的渡輪失蹤，現時已派出一架軍機協助搜索，暫時未知船上乘客的安危。救援協調中心於前日接獲名為MV Butiraoi、長十七點五米的木製雙體船失蹤的報告。MV Butiraoi已失蹤近一星期。http://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/china_world/20180128/00180_018.html
  • The Gilbert Islands (Gilbertese: Tungaru; formerly Kingsmill or King's-Mill Islands[2]) are a chain of sixteen atolls and coral islands in the Pacific Ocean about halfway between Papua New Guinea and Hawaii. They form the main part of Kiribati ("Kiribati" is the Kiribati rendition of "Gilberts"[1]).
  • [wisdom of pacific islanders] Chamorro people -  latte stone colonnades

  • The leader of Kiribati was re-elected on Monday after campaigning for closer relations with China, dashing 
    Taiwan’s hopes of a diplomatic U-turn months after the 
    Pacific island nation severed their ties in favour of Beijing. Taneti Maamau, who announced the diplomatic switch in September, won 26,053 votes in the closely watched presidential run-off, compared with 17,866 votes for ally-turned-rival Banuera Berina. Maamau, who in April lost his parliamentary majority over his handling of the switch to Beijing, carried 16 of the 23 constituencies in the country, a collection of 32 coral atolls and one raised coral island spread across 3.8 million square kilometres of the Pacific.Berina, who split with the government after complaining of being excluded from secret negotiations with China before the switch, had left open the possibility of re-establishing ties with Taipei, which Beijing considers a renegade province with no right to diplomatic relations.https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3090295/kiribatis-pro-china-leader-wins-re-election-blow-taiwan
  • china
  • 基國與台灣建交前，就與中國大陸淵源甚深，大陸首個航天海外測控站也建在基國島嶼。有大陸官媒形容，基國是助大陸科技騰飛的「國際友人」，反因當地政局更替，令陸方被迫放棄測控站。報道指，大陸與基里巴斯曾於一九八○年建交，由於基國地理位置特殊，一九九七年十月大陸就在當地建成測控站，該站多次完成太空船無人飛行試驗任務的測控，以及衞星測控任務。至二○○二年底，親台的反對派領導人上台後，便與台灣建交，大陸約三周後與該國正式斷交。當年受斷交影響，大陸科研人員決定放棄該測控站，於二○○三年三月帶設備離開。惟在投入應用後短短六年時間，大陸累積豐富的海外航天測控站建設，為後續海外測控站建設布局提供基礎。https://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/china_world/20190921/00178_002.html
  •  2003年吉里巴斯與台灣建交，中國的航太監控站並未完全撤離，大件器材上鎖留在像是碉堡一樣的建築物，以漁工名義派了4人留守。「這個地方的戰略位置太重要了」朱文祥說，每當中國的監測站燈火通明的時候，就表示有重要的計畫正在進行，屢試不爽。中國在當地設立冷凍魚加工廠，做為一個據點，聘有300多個工人。朱文祥回憶，中國有一次派出了30艘的海測船，散布在太平洋中進行定位，而美國也從關島基地出動大批戰鬥機巡航，看似要干擾對方的參數，「場景壯觀，好像電影星際大戰一樣」。朱文祥說，在吉里巴斯的39個月是他從事外交工作35年來，最為感恩的一段時光，做的事情包括了修馬路、蓋學校，引進台灣的太陽能技術，為吉里巴斯全國上萬戶點燈，讓孩子晚上可以讀書、男人可以出海捕魚，也減少老人落海的悲劇。吉里巴斯沒有泥土都是珊瑚礁岩，長年缺乏蔬菜水果，朱文祥說，台灣的農業技師把手伸進泥土，混合雞屎、豬屎，在全國鋪上了30公分的人造土，種植作物，讓這裡的人民可以吃到新鮮的蔬菜水果。來自台灣馬偕醫院的醫療團隊，原先一年造訪兩次，每次短暫停留，後來在朱文祥的號召之下改為派醫師常駐。他印象很深刻，馬偕醫院的腦神經外科醫師林新曜在資源缺乏之下，運用最原始的器材，進行了「赤手空拳」的開腦手術，救回一條人命。朱文祥說，台灣的人道外交對國際社會而言是強而有力的範例，提供更高層次的人道關懷，讓世上受苦的人民能夠享有最基本的生命尊嚴。https://news.sina.com.tw/article/20190922/32732632.html
  •  太平洋島國基里巴斯早前與台灣斷交，中國大陸外長王毅上周五在紐約出席聯合國大會期間，與基國總統兼外長馬茂簽署聯合公報，兩國正式恢復邦交。https://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/china_world/20190929/00178_014.html
  •  Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Monday that Kiribati's President Taneti Mamau and his country stand on the right side of history by resuming diplomatic ties with China. After the talks, Xi and Mamau witnessed the signing of bilateral cooperation documents in Beijing.Mamau is paying a state visit to China from Jan. 4 to 11. http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2020-01/06/c_138682670.htm
  •  太平洋島國基里巴斯去年九月與台灣斷交，並改與中國大陸建交。近日網傳一張大陸大使唐松根到訪當地一個島嶼的照片，顯示他由兩女攙扶，踩着由數十名青年俯臥在地造成的「人肉地氈」（圖），照片惹爭議，有人聲稱這是「侮辱」。https://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/china_world/20200820/00180_012.html
  • taiwan
- The Northern Mariana Islands, officially the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI; Chamorro: Sankattan Siha Na Islas Mariånas; Carolinian: Commonwealth Téél Falúw kka Efáng llól Marianas), is an insular area and commonwealth of the United States consisting of 15 islands in the northwestern Pacific Ocean. The CNMI includes all islands in the Mariana Archipelago except Guam which is the southernmost island of the chain and a separate U.S. territory. After Japan's defeat in World War II, the Northern Marianas were administered by the United States pursuant to Security Council Resolution 21 as part of the United Nations Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, which gave responsibility for defense and foreign affairs to the United States. Four referenda offering integration with Guam or changes to the islands' status were held in 1958, 1961, 1963 and 1969. On each occasion, a majority voted in favor of integration with Guam, but this did not happen: Guam rejected integration in a 1969 referendum. The people of the Northern Mariana Islands decided in the 1970s not to seek independence, but instead to forge closer links with the United States. Negotiations for territorial status began in 1972 and a covenant to establish a commonwealth in political union with the United States[12] was approved in a 1975 referendum. A new government and constitution came into effect in 1978 after being approved in a 1977 referendum. The United Nations approved this arrangement pursuant to Security Council Resolution 683. Like other U.S. territories, the islands do not have representation in the U.S. Senate, but, since 2009, are represented in the U.S. House of Representatives by a delegate who may vote in committee but not on the House floor.

  • urashima is located between two coral heads and SASS points. Urashima point is also known as hiroshima point
  • any relation?
  •  Urashima Tarō (浦島 太郎) is the protagonist of a Japanese fairy tale (otogi banashi), who in a typical modern version is a fisherman rewarded for rescuing a turtle, and carried on its back to the Dragon Palace (Ryūgū-jō) beneath the sea. There he is entertained by the princess Otohime as reward. He spends what he believes to several days, but when he returns to his home village centuries have passed. When he opens the forbidden jeweled box (tamatebako), he turns into an old man. The tale originates from the legend of Urashimako (Urashima no ko or Ura no Shimako[a]) recorded in various pieces of literature dating to the 8th century, such as the Fudoki for Tango Province, Nihon Shoki, and the Man'yōshū. During the Muromachi to Edo periods, versions of Urashima Tarō appeared in storybook form called the Otogizōshi, made into finely painted picture scrolls and picture books or mass-printed copies. These texts vary considerably, and in some, the story ends with Urashima Tarō transforming into a crane. Some iconic elements in the modern version are relatively recent. The portrayal of him riding a turtle dates only to the early 18th century, and while he is carried underwater to the Dragon Palace in modern tellings, he rides a boat to the princess's world called Hōrai in older versions.

  • chamorro
  • house of taga is the residence of elders of chamorro tribe
  • japan
  • japanese sugar mill - built during japanese colonial rule
  • shinto shrine in tinian island  

- marshall islands
  • https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/2172775/marshall-islands-leader-survives-no-confidence-motion-says Marshall Islands President Hilda Heine narrowly survived a vote of no confidence Monday, seeing off a challenge she alleges was orchestrated by Chinese-backed business interests intent on undermining the Pacific nation’s sovereignty.
  • company
  • karim ltd (exhibited at tdc baby products fr)
  • tip top international corp (exhibited at tdc baby products fr) 
  • green lighting limited (exhibited at oct2019 tdc lighting fr)
  • taiwan
  •  http://focustaiwan.tw/news/aipl/201710300018.aspxTaiwan's Taipei Medical University Shuang Ho Hospital signed an agreement with the Marshall Islands' Ministry of Health and Human Services on Monday to continue a medical internship program as well as establish a Hospital Information System (HIS) to enhance the quality of health care in the Pacific island country. During President Tsai Ing-wen's (蔡英文) visit, she and Hilda Heine, President of the Marshall Islands, witnessed the signing of an agreement between Taiwan's Shuang Ho Hospital and the Marshall Islands' health ministry. According to the agreement, Shuang Ho Hospital will help with the running of a clinical internship program for medical interns in the Marshall Islands as well as set up a HIS at Majuro Hospital, which is located in the country's capital city Majuro, to digitize patient records and other medical information.
  • The president of the Republic of the Marshall Islands voiced her strong support Monday for Taiwan joining the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), an environmental treaty adopted as the basis for a global response to challenges posed by climate change.http://focustaiwan.tw/news/aipl/201710300026.aspx
  • Hkej 29aug16 shum article on its case of "one country two systems"
  • karim ltd exhibited at 2017 tdc toy fair
- Nauru was annexed and claimed as a colony by the German Empire in the late 19th century. After World War I, Nauru became a League of Nations mandate administered by Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. During World War II, Nauru was occupied by Japanese troops, who were bypassed by the Allied advance across the Pacific. After the war ended, the country entered into UN trusteeship. Nauru gained its independence in 1968.Nauru is a phosphate rock island with rich deposits near the surface, which allowed easy strip mining operations. It has some remaining phosphate resources which, as of 2011, are not economically viable for extraction.[7] Nauru boasted the highest per-capita income enjoyed by any sovereign state in the world during the late 1960s and early 1970s. When the phosphate reserves were exhausted, and the island's environment had been seriously harmed by mining, the trust that had been established to manage the island's wealth diminished in value. To earn income, Nauru briefly became a tax haven and illegal money laundering centre.[8] From 2001 to 2008, and again from 2012, it accepted aid from the Australian Government in exchange for hosting the Nauru Regional Processing Centre. As a result of heavy dependence on Australia, many sources have identified Nauru as a client state of Australia.

  • 瑙魯共和國上周六舉行大選，被指透過給予華人公民權以提升得票率的總統華卡，在其選區連任國會議員失敗，將無法續任總統。https://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/china_world/20190826/00180_015.html
  • hkej 27feb18 shum article
  •  https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/sep/04/corruption-incompetence-and-a-musical-naurus-riches-to-rags-tale
  • people
  • china
  •  一年一度的「太平洋島國論壇」年會，正於南太平洋島國瑙魯共和國舉行，期間有大陸外交官因簽證等問題，憤然離場。瑙魯與大陸沒有邦交，該國這次主辦論壇使用的基礎建設，多是由與瑙魯邦交的台灣協助興建，台今次派出外交部長吳釗燮率團出席，大陸則以「對話夥伴」身份列 席會議。不過瑙魯拒絕大陸代表持外交護照入境，要求只能使用普通個人護照。該決定除惹怒大陸外，也引來其他成員國不滿，薩摩亞總理馬利埃致函瑙魯總統華 卡，揚言要退出峰會，又警告其他國家領袖可能跟進。http://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/china_world/20180905/00178_003.html

    - guam
    • http://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/2102824/anything-better-status-quo-guam-eyes-end-american-colonial 
    • association
    • https://www.guamchamber.com.gu
    • company
    •  eagle enterprise - manufacturer of chamorro cookies
    • Sentry Hospitality, a local and veteran owned company, brings the iconic Wyndham global brands to the island with the 144 all-suite Wyndham Guam hotel. In April 2018 Sentry Hospitality expanded its' portfolio as operator of the Grand Plaza Hotel, a 116 room Tumon hotel https://www.guamchamber.com.gu/members/member-listing/company/sentry-hospitality-llc-dba-wyndham-garden-guam-and-days-inn-guam-and-management-company-of-grand-plaza-hotel
    •  gave out chamorro cookies    http://www.chamorrochipcookies.com at 2019 ITE
    • movement of natural persons
    • 美國海關及邊境保衞局日前宣布新的關島入境措施，所有入境關島的外國旅客由上月十日起，不需再填寫I-94入境表格。合資格或適用關島免簽證專案（CNMI）的國家地區，包括香港、日本、澳洲等地而沒有美國簽證的旅客，只需於每次入境關島時填寫I-736入境表格。http://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/news/20180206/00176_023.html
    • usa 
    • 美國空軍三架可搭載核彈的B-2隱形戰略轟炸機，周一飛抵西太平洋戰略重地關島作短期部署，支援太平洋司令部的「轟炸機保證及威懾任務」。日本防相小野寺五典亦視察美軍陸基神盾系統，矢言加強應對北韓彈道導彈及巡航導彈。http://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/china_world/20180112/00178_005.html
    • [frisch] usa's thaad system in guam (prepared against n korea missile attack - magician chris dickson tasked with pushing the button
    • japan
    • china
    •  association
    • chinese chamber of commerce www.guamchinese.com 

    • http://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2130058/surveillance-under-sea-how-china-listening-near-guam 
      China has planted powerful listening devices in two strategic seabeds deep in the waters near Guam, America’s biggest military base in the Western Pacific.
    • taiwan
    • 台媒報道，台灣有意重啟駐關島辦事處，加強與美國在太平洋的區域合作，以及美台軍事關係。https://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/china_world/20191014/00178_008.html
    •  台灣 「外交部」 3日宣布，考量美台關 係升級為 「全球合作夥伴」 ，以及太 平洋戰略地位的重要性，經與美國政 府協商並獲同意，將在關島恢復設立 「駐關島台北經濟文化辦事處」 ，預 計8、9月正式運作。 據了解， 「駐關島辦事處」 於 2017年8月31日因外交預算、資源及 人力配置緣故而暫停運作，其業務由 「駐帕勞代表處」 兼轄。如今決定恢 復設立 「駐關島辦事處」 ，加之關島 是美國軍事重鎮，有分析認為這意味 着美台在軍事交流方面有新動作。http://paper.takungpao.com/resfile/PDF/20200706/PDF/a16_screen.pdf
    • hk
    •  廉航香港快運航空（HK Express）早前宣布，於下月廿九日起開辦來往日本名古屋與美國太平洋屬地關島的航線，惟鑑於北韓早前威脅以導彈包圍關島，香港快運決定推遲至明年夏季才開辦航線。香港快運於今年六月已停飛香港往來關島航班，當時據報是營運成本問題。http://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/china_world/20170919/00180_006.html
    • 香港一間上市公司（311）「聯泰控股」，係一間巨型紡織集團公司，每年營銷額在10億美元以上，主席陳守仁博士嘅博士銜，就係由關島大學頒授嘅榮譽博士，佢位公子陳祖龍係聯泰控股總裁，係關島大學工商管理系畢業生，陳氏家族在關島除擁有紡織成衣工廠外，還持有大量物業包括一啲五星酒店。http://hk.apple.nextmedia.com/supplement/columnist/%E5%B7%A6%E4%B8%81%E5%B1%B1/art/20170819/20125599
    • 早前喺一個活動見到香港工業總會副主席陳祖恒（Sunny），佢爸爸係福建社團聯會永遠名譽主席陳守仁，家族喺塞班及關島有好多生意。http://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/news/20180309/00176_089.html
    •  http://paper.takungpao.com/resfile/PDF/20180515/PDF/a15_screen.pdf

    - yap
    • [wisdom of pacific islanders] use stones as currency; but the island itself does not produce stones, they are imported from palau or guam
    • Hk
    • Tourism authority has a hk representative hkej 30jul16
    - Rota (Chamorro: Luta) also known as the "Friendly Island", is the southernmost island of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) and the second southernmost of the Marianas Archipelago.In 1521, the first European to see Rota was the lookout on Ferdinand Magellan's ship Victoria, Lope Navarro. However, Magellan's armada of three ships did not stop until they reached Guam, so the first European to arrive in Rota (in 1524), was the Spanish navigator Juan Sebastián Elcano, who annexed it together with the rest of the Mariana Islands on behalf of the Spanish Empire. As with the other islands of the northern Marianas, Rota was sold to the German Empire under the German–Spanish Treaty of 1899. In World War I, the islands were occupied by the Japanese Empire. In 1919, the League of Nations formally recognized Japanese control under the South Pacific Mandate. However, development of Rota lagged behind that of neighboring Tinian and Saipan, with only 1000 Japanese residents arriving by the end of December 1935, most of them employed in raising sugar cane and in sugar refining. The refinery was not economical, and it was closed three years later.After the end of World War II, Rota became part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands. Since 1978, the island has been a part of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

    • Mount Taipingot lies at the southern end of Songsong Village on the Rota in the Mariana Islands. It is connected to the main part of Rota by a tombolo, on which is the southern part of Songsong village. It is more commonly known as "Wedding Cake Mountain" because of its resemblance to a layered wedding cake.
    • The Chugai Pictograph site is comprised of roughly ninety individual images painted on the walls of a natural cave in the southwestern corner of Rota’s Chugai area. The drawings are in black, dark gray, and light brown pigments in lines and geometric shapes that also include a smaller number of animal-shaped figures, the most obvious of which are sea turtles and a large billfish. Experts suspect these drawings reflect ties with ancient Chamorro ancestor worship. https://www.mymarianas.com/rota/
    • tonga cave
    • inhabited by tonga people in the past
    •  During World War II, the Japanese military used the cave to house a small hospital. Before concrete housing, Rota residents used Tonga Cave as a refuge during typhoons.https://www.mymarianas.com/rota/
    • In the mid-1930s, the Japanese administration ordered the relocation of Chamorros from their traditional village at Songsong to a new village that was constructed at Tatachog. This was to accommodate the growing Japanese population that desired to reside in Songsong which served as the island’s main settlement and commercial center. The Nanyo Kohatsu Kaisha paid for the construction of a new church and rectory at Tatachog. Rota residents stayed until forced to abandon their homes during World War II when they returned to their lands in Songsong.https://www.mymarianas.com/rota/
    • 韓 國 IH GROUP 主 席 ILHWAN KIM、副主席MENDIOLA FIDEL JUNIOR SASAKURA、IH GROUP新加坡 副主席林睦荃上周到訪香港及深圳，為羅塔 島項目尋找中國合作夥伴。韓國IH集團主席 ILHWAN KIM透露，希望與中國合作方在最 短時間把羅塔島轉型成一個智慧綠化綜合性 現代城市，同時也是中國人新的後花園和休 閒的度假天堂。 上周三至周六，在美國一帶一路委員會 港 澳 專 員 王 榮 平 的 引 薦 和 帶 領 下 ， IH GROUP在香港分別拜訪了THE GLOBAL GROUP集團、金智源動力集團、美國一帶一 路委員會、華人向善基金會、香港WONGFAI 品牌、奇峰地產。隨後到訪深圳維業集團， 雙方並進行深入的會談和交流，希望將建築 施工裝修交給維業完成。http://paper.takungpao.com/resfile/PDF/20180614/PDF/b2_screen.pdf
    - china

    • aviation
    • http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/business/2017-03/28/content_28701004.htm A Chinese aircraft manufacturer said on Monday it will deliver one Y12E aircraft to Micronesia this year. It is also Harbin Aircraft Industry Group Co Ltd's first aircraft export to the country, which would help explore the Oceania market, according to the company, a subsidiary of Aviation Industry Corporation of China or AVIC. HAIG is one of the nation's leading aircraft producers that started production and research since 1950s.
    - hk

    • 陳亨利（Henry，圖）最近去咗一趟太平洋小島密克羅尼西亞，當地漁業及旅遊資源豐富，仲係世界著名嘅金槍魚產地。Henry着住雨靴親自去金槍魚工場視察情況http://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/news/20180717/00176_094.html
    The Caroline Islands (or the Carolines) are a widely scattered archipelago of tiny islands in the western Pacific Ocean, to the north of New Guinea. Politically they are divided between the Federated States of Micronesia in the eastern part of the group, and Palau at the extreme western end. Historically, this area was also called Nuevas Filipinas or New Philippines[1] as they were part of the Spanish East Indies and governed from Manila in the Philippines.
    - Pohnpei "upon (pohn) a stone altar (pei)" (formerly known as Ponape or Ascension) is an island of the Senyavin Islands which are part of the larger Caroline Islands group. It belongs to Pohnpei State, one of the four states in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). Major population centers on Pohnpei include Palikir, the FSM's capital, and Kolonia, the capital of Pohnpei State.

    • association
    • The Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) is a treaty-based organisation established to conserve and manage tuna and other highly migratory fish stocks across the western and central areas of the Pacific Ocean Its full name is Commission for the Conservation and Management of Highly Migratory Fish Stocks in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean. . It commenced operations in late 2005, and its secretariat is based in Pohnpei, in the northern Pacific state of the Federated States of Micronesia. It was established by the International treaty Convention on the Conservation and Management of Highly Migratory Fish Stocks in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean (WCPF Convention), which entered into force on 19 June 2004.
    •  美國將在本周舉行的中西太平洋漁業委員會（WCPFC）會議上，試圖增加該國捕撈短鮪的上限，太平洋島國發誓要加以阻攔，因為這與可持續捕撈的理念背道而馳。該會議共有26個國家參加，主要由小島嶼國家組成，但也包括來自中、美、日、韓等所謂「遙遠水域國家」，會議內容主要是確定太平洋地區的捕撈政策。這26個國家的吞拿魚捕撈量差不多達到全球60%，總價值高達每年60億美元（約469億港元）。委員會有這樣一條規矩，所有國家都應該在至少5%的捕撈船上配有獨立的漁業觀察員，以確保不超過該國的最高捕撈量。不過除美國外，大多數國家都忽略了監測要求。因此，美國政府計劃以遵守委員會監督規則、應得到獎勵為由，提高其捕撈短鮪的上限。短鮪是生魚片中最受歡迎的吞拿魚品種之一。不過這一想法遭到了各方的反對。瑙魯協定成員國的首席執行官庫莫魯（Ludwig Kumoru）10日表示，美國的要求並不合理，「我們應該集中精力實施可持續捕撈的措施」。其他專家也表示，削弱現有規定的方法並不可取。http://paper.takungpao.com/resfile/PDF/20181212/PDF/a23_screen.pdf


    New caledonia
    - Nouméa (French pronunciation: ​[nume.a]) is the capital and largest city of the French special collectivity of New Caledonia. It is situated on a peninsula in the south of New Caledonia's main island, Grande Terre, and is home to the majority of the island's European, Polynesian (Wallisians, Futunians, Tahitians), Indonesian, and Vietnamese populations, as well as many Melanesians, Ni-Vanuatu and Kanaks who work in one of the South Pacific's most industrialised cities. The city lies on a protected deepwater harbour which serves as the chief port for New Caledonia.The first European to establish a settlement in the vicinity was British trader James Paddon in 1851. Anxious to assert control of the island, the French established a settlement nearby three years later in 1854, moving from Balade in the north of the island. This settlement was initially called Port-de-France and was renamed Nouméa in 1866. The area served first as a penal colony, later as a centre for the exportation of the nickel and gold that was mined nearby. From 1904 to 1940 Nouméa was linked to Dumbéa and Païta by the Nouméa-Païta railway, the only railway line that ever existed in New Caledonia.he city maintains much of New Caledonia's unique mix of French and old Melanesian culture.

    • french carrier vendemiaire is based at the port scmp 22feb18


    - http://www.economist.com/news/asia/21720327-first-pacific-island-may-choose-stay-part-france-second-could-split-papua The Pacific island of New Caledonia is due to hold a referendum on independence from France by November next year

    indigenous people
    - 南島民族     The Austronesian peoples, or more accurately Austronesian-speaking peoples,[43] are a large group of various peoples in Taiwan, Island Southeast Asia, Micronesia, coastal New Guinea, Island Melanesia, Polynesia, and Madagascar, that speak the Austronesian languages. The nations and territories predominantly populated by Austronesian-speaking peoples are sometimes known collectively as Austronesia.
    • 自古以來，臺灣的蘭嶼與菲律賓的巴丹島，皆是靠着小舟往來。根據民族學的研究，兩地的原住民有深厚的血緣關係（皆屬南島民族），語言及傳統歌曲亦有高度的相似性，現今雙方已逐漸恢復連絡。目前本處的經濟海域劃分尚未協商，因此常發生菲律賓軍隊扣押臺灣漁民的行動，引發雙方外交上的衝突，尤其是在2013年廣大興事件發生後，雙方關係更為緊張。
    -   查莫羅人   The Chamorro people (/tʃɑˈmɔroʊ/)[4] are the indigenous people of the Mariana Islands; politically divided between the United States territory of Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in Micronesia. Today, significant Chamorro populations also exist in several U.S. states including Hawaii, California, Washington, Texas, Tennessee, Oregon, and Nevada. According to the 2000 Census, approximately 65,000 people of Chamorro ancestry live in Guam and another 19,000 live in the Northern Marianas.[5] Another 93,000 live outside the Marianas in Hawaii and the West Coast of the United States. The Chamorros are primarily Austronesian, but many also have European (Spanish) and East Asian ancestry.The Chamorro language is included in the Malayo-Polynesian subgroup of the Austronesian family. Because Guam was colonized by Spain for over 300 years, Chamorro has acquired many loanwords from Spanish. An example is how the traditional Chamorro number system was replaced by Spanish numbers.

    usa
    - Star Marianas Air, Inc. is a U.S. commuter airline headquartered at Tinian International Airport in Tinian Municipality, Northern Mariana Islands.[2] It operates scheduled and charter passenger service in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and Guam, both U.S. territories in the Pacific Ocean. Star Marianas Air is named after four islands that constitute the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Saipan, Tinian, Aguigan, and Rota. Star Mariana's Air was founded in 2008 and was approved by the FAA on April 1, 2009 to operate in the Northern Mariana Islands .

    australia
    - 澳洲總理莫里森昨日宣佈，將向太平 洋島國提供合共30億澳元(約171億港元) 經濟援助，推動對方發展基建，並加強 與有關國家的軍事和外交聯繫。分析家 指出，雖然莫里森在演說中未有點名中 國，但這項政策相信旨在抗衡中國在太 平洋地區日益擴張的影響力。http://pdf.wenweipo.com/2018/11/09/a24-1109.pdf
    - 太平洋島國近年成為中澳角力場，澳洲總理莫里森周二宣布以贈款而非貸款方式，未來五年出資五億澳元（約二十六億五千萬港元），協助鄰近的太平洋島國投資可再生能源，加強抵抗極端天氣的能力，以回應區內國家不滿澳洲應對氣候變化不力的指控。https://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/china_world/20190814/00180_006.html

    chinese
    - 陳亨利講述自己的 「創業歷程」，其父陳守仁於1965年創 辦聯泰船務貿易公司，至1972年將業務拓展至關島與塞班島， 因此建議陳亨利到關島讀書。雖然關島航線很快因為越南戰爭 而停辦，但陳亨利卻在關島找到自己的事業起步點。http://paper.takungpao.com/resfile/PDF/20171106/PDF/a17_screen.pdf

    • century tours (in beijing with branch offices in shanghai, shenzhen and hk is under this group) organises tours in pacific islands 

    - investors
    • 海天地悅旅集團(01832)主要經營塞班、關島及夏威夷的優閒旅遊，集團於一九九七年成立，其旅遊業務分為酒店及度假村分部、高端旅遊零售分部及目的地服務分部。按收益計算，公司市場佔有率為9.8%。而按公司的市場佔有率計算，則分別為33.7%及24.5%，且按收益、物業數量及已售房間數目三項計，集團為排名首位的市場參與者。https://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/finance/20190520/00210_008.html
    china
    -  China-Pacific Island Countries Economic Development Cooperation Forum

    • China will seek to expand its economic and diplomatic influence in the South Pacific at a forum this weekend, amid growing concern from the US and its allies over Beijing’s push in the strategically important region.Vice-Premier Hu Chunhua will lead the Chinese delegation at the third China-Pacific Island Countries Economic Development Cooperation Forum in the Samoan capital Apia, which begins on Sunday. It is expected to be attended by 400 officials and more than 200 businesspeople.Hu, the former Communist Party chief of China’s manufacturing powerhouse Guangdong who now overseas commercial and agricultural affairs, is expected to deliver a keynote speech at the opening ceremony.http://www.samoanews.com/regional/china-expected-ramp-south-pacific-push-economic-forum-samoa



    taiwan
    - https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3031891/us-and-taiwan-hold-forum-shore-support-taipei-pacific Representatives of Pacific Island nations, the US and 
    Taiwan met in Taipei on Monday to find ways to shore up support for the self-ruled island in the region as Beijing continues to poach its allies. The first Pacific Islands Dialogue, organised by Washington and Taipei, took place after the Solomon Islands and Kiribati switched their diplomatic ties from Taiwan to Beijing last month, sparking concern from the United States.Taiwan now has just four allies that recognise it as a nation in the Pacific, and 15 diplomatic allies in total. The democratically ruled island is under increasing pressure from Beijing, which sees it as a wayward province to be reunified with the mainland – by force if necessary – and 
    has lured countries in the Pacific to switch recognition with the promise of aid and loans.
    The one-day forum aimed to bring together the US, Taiwan and other like-minded partners in the Pacific to explore ways to “increase our cooperation to meet the development needs of Taiwan’s diplomatic partners in the Pacific”, according to the American Institute in Taiwan, Washington’s de facto embassy in Taipei.


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