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    Some Pacific Island Nations Are Turning To China. Climate Change Is A Factor

    The Solomon Islands and Kiribati recently established ties with China. Economic considerations are a key driver, but both nations also cite concerns about climate change as a reason for the decision.
    by Ashley Westerman Nov 23, 2019 6 minutes
    China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi shakes hands with Solomon Islands' Foreign Minister Jeremiah Manele after the signing of a joint communique in Beijing establishing diplomatic relations between China and the Solomon Islands.

    This month, the Trump administration formally began the yearlong process of pulling the United States out of the 2015 Paris Agreement. It will be the first and only country to quit the 200-nation deal to combat climate change. That's a big concern for some of the world's most vulnerable countries, including the small island nations of the Pacific.

    While the administration still promises to work outside the agreement with nations on environmental problems, Pacific island nations that consider themselves on the front lines of climate change had hoped the U.S. would stay committed to the global deal to cut emissions and help populations confront the rising seas around them.

    Now some leaders of those nationsare turning for help to China, and climate change has been a factor. Beijing has vowed to stay in the Paris Climate Agreement. The diplomatic reconfiguration in the region has opened up a new front in the battle for influence between China and the U.S. and its allies.

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