<ul><li><keyword id="440631" type="COUNTRY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Niue">Niue</keyword>, a <keyword id="9841236" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="tiny-island-nation">tiny island nation</keyword> in the Pacific, is launching proceedings with <keyword id="10444052" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="internet-overseer-icann">internet overseer ICANN</keyword> to reclaim the .nu top-level domain.</li><li>The .nu domain has never been in the hands of the Niuean people, with control currently resting with <keyword id="10444053" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="the-internet-foundation-of-sweden">the Internet Foundation of Sweden</keyword> (IIS), the body in charge of that country’s .se space.</li><li>“This is the big one,” says Pär Brumark, the Swedish domains expert who is leading a delegation on behalf of Niue to claim its space.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com.au/">Visit Business Insider Australia’s homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul><em>This article was originally published in <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com.au/niue-nu-internet-domain-reclaim-2020-12">BI Australia</a> by Jack Kerr. <br /></em><br />A tiny island microstate has today launched proceedings that could have profound repercussions for who controls the internet.<br /><br />The Government of Niue, a tiny island 2,400 kilometres northeast of <keyword id="22501" type="COUNTRY" weightage="20" keywordseo="New-Zealand">New Zealand</keyword>, has demanded a “redelegation” of its national webspace, .nu, from the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (<keyword id="50359" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="ICANN">ICANN</keyword>), the supranational non-profit that coordinates top-level domains to ensure the stable operation of the internet.<br /><br />It’s a battle that’s almost as old as Hotmail – and if fights over internet governance had weight divisions, then this would be a heavyweight card.<br /><br />“This is the big one,” said Pär Brumark, the Swedish domains expert who is leading a delegation on behalf of the tiny Pacific island.<br /><br />His pro-bono team of professors and legal academics from major Scandinavian universities have, he says, constructed the most detailed analysis of problems with ICANN rules and their allegedly poor implementation ever to be undertaken.<br /><br />“We’ll lay it all out. It’s a proof of concept of how fucked up the system is.”<br /><br />Countries were each allocated a national webspace (or top-level domain) during the 1990s, in a relatively loose arrangement that was intended to ensure it was operated by that country’s internet community.<br /><br />In <keyword id="6355478" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="australia">Australia</keyword>, for example, the nation’s top-level domain is run by the .au <keyword id="10444055" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="domain-administration">Domain Administration</keyword> (auDA). It’s a member-based nonprofit based in Melbourne, and their custodianship of this significant national resource – which provides a trusted space for Australian e-commerce, and had a turnover of almost $14 million in the first six months of this year – is endorsed by the Commonwealth.<br /><br />Another Pacific nation, Tuvalu, receives $5 million per year from the registry that runs its popular .tv top-level domain.<br /><br />That’s roughly how it’s supposed to work – notwithstanding auDA’s <a href="https://www.afr.com/technology/infighting-continues-at-domain-name-authority-auda-20180427-h0zcng">own internal dramas over the years</a>.<br /><br />For microstates like Niue, however, it has been a totally different experience.<br /><br />“No one even made a phone call to the Government of Niue when [the initial delegation] happened,” Brumark said. “And they’ve basically been ignored ever since.”<br /><br />For reasons which are still unclear, but which likely stem from Niue’s isolation and small size, control of the .nu webspace was originally handed to a magazine editor from Massachusetts <a href="https://www.post-gazette.com/business/tech-news/2006/03/29/On-a-tiny-island-catchy-Web-name-sparks-a-battle/stories/200603290178">named Bill Semich</a>.<br /><br />He would soon boast that .nu was “the fastest growing top-level domain name on the Internet”, thanks largely to its popularity in northern European countries, where ‘nu’ translates as ‘now’.<br /><br />While Niue signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Semich around that time, it quickly backtracked, claiming it did not understand what it was agreeing to or the financial benefit control of the webspace could confer.<br /><br />Toke Talagi, the long-serving Premier of Niue who passed away earlier this year, deemed the situation a form of “neo-colonialism”, while Brumark has dubbed it “digital colonisation”.<br /><br />But Semich has denied any legal or moral wrongdoing. He said that part of the profit he gained from controlling the .nu top-level domain was used to get the remote island connected to the internet, and his IUS-N Foundation said it continues to make significant contributions to maintain the island’s internet and telecommunication needs, as well as funding community projects.<br /><br />But Niue tore up the original deal in 2000, and passed legislation calling for a formalised agreement, which did not eventuate.<br /><br />In 2013, the <keyword id="10444054" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="internet-foundation">Internet Foundation</keyword> of Sweden (IIS), the body in charge of that country’s .se space, became the technical manager of .nu.<br /><br />To Nieuans, this meant their national digital territory had essentially been placed under the control of another country.<br /><br />“It is unprecedented in the history of the internet that the appointed national ccTLD (country-code top-level domain) manager of one nation … takes over a foreign, by national law protected, ccTLD management of another,” the Niueans write in their redelegation request, which will be formally submitted to ICANN around midday Niuean time.<br /><br />It says the IIS has been operating the .nu space “in breach of its own founding charter and in absence of the Swedish-law-required permission from the applicable Swedish Governmental Authority.”<br /><br />The case will also argue the current arrangement is a breach of the Niue’s Digital Communication Amendment Act – as well as the IIS’s founding charter and the Accountability Framework agreed to between ICANN and IUS-N.<br /><br />“The business arrangement … constitutes a severe and present threat to the stability and the security of the local internet community as well as the global internet community.”<br /><br />Niue is currently also pursuing a case in the Swedish legal system to claim ten of millions of dollars generated by the sale of .nu web addresses.<br /><br />Redelegations – where control of a top-level domain is transferred to another, more appropriate body – have been actioned before by ICANN.<br /><br />But this is “by far the most long-lasting ongoing case and it will be the most thorough redelegation investigation in history,” said Brumark<br /><br />“We have needed 20 volunteers, including professors and academics, to make this happen. Niue could not afford to even investigate this issue, let alone run a redelegation. There are too many gatekeepers in ICANN that would try to keep them out.<br /><br />“If I had known this would take thousands of hours and twenty lawyers, would I have gone into this? Probably not. But the people of Niue have become my close friends. And I want to get justice for them.”<br /><br />If he loses, there is the option to go one step further and seek justice in the court system of California, where ICANN is based.<br /><br />But Brumark said that won’t be necessary.<br /><br />“No, because we will be successful. We have internal papers, we have everything.<br /><br />“We are putting them in a situation where it would be extremely difficult to rule against Niue, because that would set a precedent that would complicate their policy system too much.<br /><br />“It would be a stain on ICANN.”<br /><br /><strong>SEE ALSO:<br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/whatsapp-pay-strengthens-its-upi-offering-ties-up-with-sbi-icici-bank-hdfc-bank-and-axis-bank/articleshow/79754660.cms">WhatsApp Pay strengthens its UPI offering — ties up with SBI, ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank and Axis Bank</a><br /><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/defense/news/india-inaugurates-new-railway-line-with-bangladesh-to-save-its-chickens-neck-from-china-on-vijay-diwas/articleshow/79750869.cms">After 55 years, India will inaugurate a new railway line with Bangladesh to save its ‘Chicken’s Neck’ from China</a><br /><br /></strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/pubg-mobile-india-may-not-launch-until-march-next-year/articleshow/79751618.cms"><strong>PUBG Mobile India may not launch until March next year, says a report citing sources</strong></a><br />

A tiny island nation is clashing with ICANN to own its space on the web

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="22501" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="New-Zealand">New Zealand</keyword> has secured two additional COVID-19 vaccines from the University of Oxford/AstraZeneca and Novavax. This brings the total up to four vaccine providers.</li><li>The number of vaccine doses available to New Zealanders now far exceeds the population of five million people.</li><li>Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has announced that New Zealand will offer surplus vaccines to neighboring nations.</li><li>New Zealand will also offer $65 million in aid to support Pacific countries in getting access to vaccines.</li></ul><p>On Thursday, Jacinda Ardern <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/dec/17/ardern-unveils-new-zealand-covid-vaccine-deals-as-economy-rebounds">announced</a> that New Zealand had secured two additional COVID-19 vaccines. This means that the country now expects to have so many doses of the vaccine that it will be able to offer it to neighboring nations for free.</p><p>The Government signed deals with the University of Oxford/AstraZeneca and Novavax to bring in an additional 18.3 million doses. Both of these vaccines require two doses, meaning that over nine million people will be able to be vaccinated.</p><p>Prior to these agreements, New Zealand had already secured 750,000 courses from Pfizer/BioNTech and 4 million courses from Janssen.</p><p>Given that New Zealand's population stands at just five million people, the country expects to have almost triple the number of vaccines required.</p><p>In a <a href="https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/two-new-vaccines-secured-enough-every-new-zealander">press release</a>, Ardern revealed that spare vaccines would go to neighboring countries.</p><p>She said: "We now have agreements in place with four providers, covering three different types of vaccine technology and we have secured more than enough doses to cover our entire population plus the Pacific."</p><p>Government officials announced that free doses will be provided to Tokelau, Cook Islands, Niue, Samoa, Tonga, and Tuvalu, according to <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/12/17/947403839/new-zealand-will-give-free-coronavirus-vaccines-to-residents-neighboring-nations">NPR</a>.</p><p>Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta has <a href="https://twitter.com/NanaiaMahuta/status/1339350464584826881">said </a>that New Zealand is committing $65 million of development assistance money to support Pacific countries to "access safe and effective COVID-19 at the earliest opportunity."</p><p>An additional $10 million is going towards a global commitment to ensuring that lower-income countries get access to vaccines.</p><p>New Zealand has been praised for its response to coronavirus.</p><p>The country reports only 2,110 cases and 25 deaths.</p><p>On Thursday, there were 10 new cases reported. On Wednesday, there were zero.</p>

Jacinda Ardern says New Zealand has bought so many COVID-19 vaccines that it will give free doses to neighboring countries

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5d24f052a17d6c173645bc68-2000/ap19153086497488.jpg" border="0" alt="Pilgrims hold umbrellas during Mass in Romania, 2019." data-mce-source="Vadim Ghirda / AP" data-mce-caption="Pilgrims hold umbrellas during Mass in Romania, 2019." data-link="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/Romania-Pope/6e22da3f565e415fb418d351bd70851e/37/0" /></div></div></div></p><ul class="summary-list"><li>July 11 is <a href="https://www.un.org/en/events/populationday/">World Population Day</a>.</li><li><strong>To mark the occasion, </strong><strong>INSIDER Data has found the 30 countries and territories with the biggest population shifts since 1950.</strong></li><li><strong>The United Arab Emirates had the most population growth on average, while Niue had the least.</strong></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit BusinessInsider.com for more stories.</a></li></ul><p>When the global population hit 5 billion in 1987, the United Nations started World Population Day on July 11 to spotlight the growing number of people on the planet.</p><p>Today, there are <a href="https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/">7.7 billion people</a> in the world, and with refugee crises, wars, droughts, and changing work opportunities, populations in some countries are booming while others are shrinking.</p><p>By acknowledging the day, the UN hopes to mobilize political will and draw attention to population problems.</p><p>We're marking the occasion by looking at the 15 countries with the biggest population growth since 1950 and the 15 countries with the least population growth since 1950. Here are the results.</p>

The 30 biggest population shifts in recent history

<ul class="summary-list"><li>During the first half of 2022, <keyword id="11892748" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="china" source="Orion">China</keyword> has intensified its outreach to Pacific Island nations.</li><li>China's inroads have alarmed the US and its allies in the region, which see Beijing as going for a strategic advantage.</li></ul><p>In the five months since one of President Joe Biden's top advisers warned that the Pacific was likely where the US could see a "strategic surprise" from China, Beijing has stepped up its overtures to the small but important islands of the region, prompting the US and its allies to scramble in response to growing Chinese influence.</p><p>Kurt Campbell, the coordinator for <keyword id="12054992" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="indo-pacific" source="Orion">Indo-Pacific</keyword> on the National Security Council, told a think-tank audience in January that such a surprise — consisting of "basing or certain kinds of agreements or arrangements" — was a top concern "over the next year or two."</p><p>That concern was given form in late March with the leak of a draft "<a href="https://twitter.com/AnnaPowles/status/1506845794728837120" target="_blank" rel="noopener">security cooperation</a>" agreement between China and the <keyword id="12279524" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="solomon-islands" source="Orion">Solomon Islands</keyword>, which said the Solomons could ask China to send police and military personnel "to assist in maintaining social order" and that China could, with permission, make "ship visits" and send "relevant forces" to protect Chinese interests — potentially giving China's military a toehold in the South Pacific.</p><div type="image" title="China navy ship Tonga" height="1080" width="1920" msid="92499546" hostid="261" sizebytes="194614"></div><p>In the Solomons, the news prompted fear that Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare could call on Chinese forces to repress <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/china/what-is-behind-unrest-solomon-islands-2021-11-29/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">future protests</a> against his government. Neighboring countries, including <keyword id="11897977" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="australia" source="Orion">Australia</keyword>, criticized the deal as a threat to the region's governance and security. US <a href="https://www.defense.gov/News/Transcripts/Transcript/Article/3000814/pentagon-press-secretary-john-f-kirby-holds-a-press-briefing/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">defense</a> and <a href="https://www.state.gov/briefings/department-press-briefing-april-18-2022/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">diplomatic</a> officials cautioned that the deal's "broad nature" could lead to deployments of Chinese forces and "set a concerning precedent" for the region.</p><p>Sogavare, who called the backlash "very insulting," said on April 20 — two days after the Biden administration announced a trip by Campbell and other officials to the region — that he had <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/04/20/solomon-islands-china-security-agreement/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">signed the deal</a> and done so "guided by our national interests." The final text has not been released but Sogavare and Chinese officials deny it will lead to a Chinese military base.</p><p>The White House said there had been "substantial discussion" of the deal while US officials were in Honiara and that if there were moves toward a permanent military presence or "power-projection capabilities" in the Solomons the US "would then have significant concerns and respond accordingly."</p><p>China has security-related agreements with Pacific island countries, largely focused on law enforcement — Australia and <keyword id="11895805" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="new-zealand" source="Orion">New Zealand</keyword> have similar relationships — but the deal with the Solomon Islands is seen as broader in scope and as coming at a time of higher geopolitical tension.</p><p>In the weeks after the Solomons deal was signed, China's outreach appear to intensify, with reports it was pursuing <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/e2116b29-e58b-4fa0-8003-d28d18ddf06f" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a similar deal</a> with <keyword id="14304181" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="kiribati" source="Orion">Kiribati</keyword> and its proposal of a sweeping deal with 10 Pacific countries: the Solomons, Kiribati, Samoa, Fiji, Tonga, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, the Cook Islands, Niue, and the Federated States of Micronesia.</p><div type="image" title="China Wang Yi Fiji Pacific Islands meeting" height="1078" width="2000" msid="92499547" hostid="261" sizebytes="146520"></div><p>A <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/exclusive-china-seeks-pacific-islands-policing-security-cooperation-document-2022-05-25/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">draft of the proposal</a> was circulated prior to a trip to the region by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in late May. It <a href="https://apnews.com/article/wang-yi-beijing-china-new-zealand-96f78c97071116055ebc3e7c216a0ef8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">proposed</a> to "strengthen exchanges and cooperation in the fields of traditional and non traditional security," to expand law-enforcement cooperation, and to cooperate on cyber security and smart technology.</p><p>Leaders were wary before and after discussing their meetings with Wang.</p><p>In <a href="https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/22037013/letter-from-h-e-david-w-panuelo-to-pacific-island-leaders-may-20-2022-signed.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a May 20 letter</a> to 21 regional leaders, Micronesian President David Panuelo called it "the single-most game-changing proposed agreement in the Pacific in any of our lifetimes" and "demonstrative of China's intention to shift Pacific allegiances in their direction."</p><p>"The Pacific needs genuine partners, not superpowers that are super-focussed on power," Fiji President Frank Bainimarama <a href="https://twitter.com/FijiPM/status/1531180835356803072" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> on May 30, adding that after an "excellent meeting" with Wang, Fiji sought "stronger Chinese commitment" to trade and environmental issues.</p><p>The countries ultimately <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-05-30/pacific-nations-shelve-region-wide-china-deal/101109614" target="_blank" rel="noopener">didn't support</a> China's proposal. The US has cast that as <a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-asia-united-states-china-bangkok-de635c39e75c3b9f7603cff696421db0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reluctance</a> to engage with Beijing, but Wang <a href="https://thediplomat.com/2022/06/timor-leste-signs-four-cooperation-agreements-with-china/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">signed</a> other bilateral deals while in the region, and countries there with a strong interest in development assistance <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/samoa-pm-says-pacific-can-deal-with-own-security-issues-2022-06-17/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">still see</a> economic opportunity in China.</p><p>Leaders appeared "miffed" by Beijing's "abrupt" presentation of a pre-written agreement rather than discussing it first, said Charles Dunst, an expert on Asia at the Center for Strategic and <keyword id="6356001" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="international" source="Orion">International</keyword> Studies. Opposition to this specific pact doesn't indicate "a wholesale or final rejection of cooperation with China," Dunst told Insider.</p><h2>Huge challenges and strategic importance</h2><div type="image" title="Solomon Islands map" height="1270" width="2158" msid="92499548" hostid="261" sizebytes="45104"></div><p>China's Pacific outreach is a years-long effort to build relations and influence in the region, filling a "strategic vacuum" created by "benign neglect" of longstanding security and economic ties by the US, Australia, and New Zealand, Anna Powles, an expert on Pacific security issues at New Zealand's Massey University, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-presence-in-pacific-means-for-taiwan-expert-explains-what-2019-10" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told Insider in October 2019</a>.</p><p>As <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/defense-officials-worried-about-chinese-military-presence-in-latin-america-2022-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in other regions</a>, China seeks access to natural resources, trade, and infrastructure projects, such as <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/exclusive-pacific-island-turns-australia-undersea-cable-after-spurning-china-2021-06-24/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">internet cables</a> and ports and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-plans-to-upgrade-an-airstrip-strategically-located-in-kiribati-2021-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">airfields</a>.</p><p>China has also sought to expand its diplomatic ties to further isolate Taiwan — in September 2019, both <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/taiwan-loses-biggest-pacific-ally-as-solomons-embraces-china-2019-9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Solomons</a> and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-sees-kiribati-ties-soon-no-word-on-space-tracking-station-2019-9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kiribati</a> formally recognized Beijing — and to bolster its support in international forums.</p><p>China also sees strategic value in the <keyword id="14304180" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="pacific-islands" source="Orion">Pacific islands</keyword> as "<a href="https://theconversation.com/what-does-china-want-in-the-pacific-diplomatic-allies-and-strategic-footholds-184147" target="_blank" rel="noopener">footholds</a>" or "<a href="https://www.ft.com/content/e2116b29-e58b-4fa0-8003-d28d18ddf06f" target="_blank" rel="noopener">perches</a>" from which to counter the US militarily. In 2018, Australian officials said Beijing had discussed <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-vanuatu-military-post-worrying-australia-us-2018-4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">establishing a military presence with Vanuatu</a>, and there is concern about the military implications of other Chinese projects, including in <a href="https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/chinese-built-airport-next-door-australia-us-funded-navy-port" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Papua New Guinea</a> and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-plans-to-upgrade-an-airstrip-strategically-located-in-kiribati-2021-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kiribati</a>.</p><div type="image" title="China Wang Yi Kiribati Taneti Maamau handshake Beijing" height="1333" width="2000" msid="92499549" hostid="261" sizebytes="95110"></div><p>The dynamic mirrors the Allied island-hopping campaign of World War II, which sought to roll back the Empire of Japan by recapturing <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/growing-chinese-influence-in-guadalcanal-worrying-the-us-and-australia-2018-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">strategically located Pacific islands</a>. The historical link was underscored in early May, when the US State Department <a href="https://www.state.gov/commemorating-the-80th-anniversary-of-the-battle-of-coral-sea/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">commemorated</a> the 80th anniversary of the Battle of the Coral Sea, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/battle-of-the-coral-sea-world-war-ii-anniversary-2018-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a clash in the waters</a> between Australia and the Solomons that is seen as a turning point in the war.</p><p>"We've certainly seen sources that show that China is really interested in thinking about the Japanese approach to challenging US dominance of the Pacific," Anne-Marie Brady, a professor and expert in Chinese foreign policy at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand, said at <a href="https://www.hoover.org/events/us-needs-step-pacific-facing-chinas-military-challenge" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a Hoover Institution</a> event in May.</p><p>Brady said that China's economic growth and military investment since the 1990s have given it the ability to begin countering the US military in the <a href="https://nationalinterest.org/feature/why-islands-still-matter-asia-15121" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pacific island chains</a>, long been seen as defensive lines against the Soviets and now the Chinese.</p><p>New Zealand said in 2021 that a Chinese base "in the Pacific would fundamentally alter the strategic balance of the region," Brady said at the May event.</p><p>Australia's chief of joint operations, Lt. Gen. Greg Bilton, <a href="https://www.minister.defence.gov.au/minister/peter-dutton/transcripts/press-conference-abigail-bradshaw-csc-head-acsc-and-lieutenant" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in March that Chinese navy operations in the Solomons would "change the calculus" and prompt Australia's military to change its day-to-day operations, patrolling patterns, and maritime awareness activities.</p><div type="image" title="Australia HMAS Canberra soldiers Chinook Tonga" height="1344" width="2000" msid="92499550" hostid="261" sizebytes="153450"></div><p>In addition to providing better awareness of activity in the region, a more consistent Chinese military presence in the Solomons is "bound to have a political effect on the thinking of leaders in those island areas about the importance of maintaining good relations with China," Timothy Heath, a senior international defense researcher at the RAND Corporation, told Insider in April.</p><p>The US and its allies have mounted a flurry of efforts to counter China's inroads. The US said in February that it would <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/us-planning-open-embassy-solomon-islands-official-2022-02-12/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reopen its embassy</a> in the Solomons, which was closed in the 1990s. Australia's foreign minister has made multiple trips to the region in since taking office in June.</p><p>US military leaders have <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/pacific-islands-are-critical-geostrategic-ground-top-commander-says-2021-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">repeatedly underscored</a> the importance of the Pacific Islands to their operations, particularly has they try to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/air-force-studying-different-austere-bases-to-fight-in-pacific-2020-11" target="_blank" rel="noopener">disperse their forces</a> to counter the growing reach of China's arsenal. The US has <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/exclusive-counter-china-influence-us-names-envoy-lead-pacific-island-talks-2022-03-22/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stepped up</a> efforts to renegotiate the Compacts of Free Association, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-looks-to-pacific-islands-for-presence-amid-china-competition-2020-11" target="_blank" rel="noopener">its unique defense agreements with Palau, Micronesia, and the Marshall Islands</a> that expire in 2023 and 2024, holding an in-person <a href="https://twitter.com/CleoPaskal/status/1537591557037010945" target="_blank" rel="noopener">meeting</a> with the Marshall Islands in mid-June.</p><p>Time and distance has kept the US Navy from maintaining a significant presence among the Pacific Islands but it is looking to strengthen and expand its ties there, with a particular eye toward logistics support, according to Vice Adm. William Merz, who commanded the Japan-based 7th Fleet from 2019 to 2021.</p><p>"The rising tensions, especially in that region, has certainly created a whole new level of enthusiasm for more and more players to participate with the US, and we're trying to take advantage of that," Merz said at a defense industry conference in February 2022.</p><div type="image" title="US sailors Tinian harbor" height="1333" width="2000" msid="92499552" hostid="261" sizebytes="392498"></div><p>US commanders say Pacific islanders are interested in greater collaboration, in part out of concern about China, but the region's leaders also stress a desire to avoid conflict and to focus on pressing issues, specifically the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/76-years-after-wwii-battle-tarawa-marines-still-being-identified-2019-11" target="_blank" rel="noopener">existential threat of climate change</a>.</p><p>"In Fiji, we are not threatened by geopolitical competition," Fiji's defense minister said at the Shangri-La Dialogue in June. "In our Blue Pacific continent, machine guns, fighter jets, grey ships, and green battalions are not our primary security concern. The single greatest threat to our very existence is climate change."</p><p>The US appears to be taking "tangible steps" in the region, Dunst said in early June, pointing to a need for more non-military engagement, better alignment with Australia and New Zealand, and to make clear the US's long-term interest in the region outside the context of US-China competition.</p><p>On June 24, the US, Australia, New Zealand, the UK, and Japan <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/06/24/statement-by-australia-japan-new-zealand-the-united-kingdom-and-the-united-states-on-the-establishment-of-the-partners-in-the-blue-pacific-pbp/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> the Partners in the Blue Pacific initiative to support the region "according to principles of Pacific regionalism, sovereignty, transparency, accountability, and most of all, led and guided by the Pacific Islands."</p><p>In a speech prior to the announcement, Kurt Campbell underscored the US's historical ties to the Pacific and stressed the importance engaging with and supporting those countries and their region, vowing more high-level US outreach and delivery of "public goods."</p><p>"There is a general recognition that this is a region of not only moral responsibility and huge challenges — environmental and the like — but it's of strategic importance," Campbell said. "I think it will be important for us to demonstrate that as we go forward."</p>

The US and its allies are scrambling to respond to China's intensifying moves in the heart of the Pacific

<ul class="summary-list"><li>During the first half of 2022, <keyword id="11892748" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="china" source="Orion">China</keyword> has intensified its outreach to Pacific Island nations.</li><li>China's inroads have alarmed the US and its allies in the region, which see Beijing as going for a strategic advantage.</li></ul><p>In the five months since one of President Joe Biden's top advisers warned that the Pacific was likely where the US could see a "strategic surprise" from China, Beijing has stepped up its overtures to the small but important islands of the region, prompting the US and its allies to scramble in response to growing Chinese influence.</p><p>Kurt Campbell, the coordinator for <keyword id="12054992" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="indo-pacific" source="Orion">Indo-Pacific</keyword> on the National Security Council, told a think-tank audience in January that such a surprise — consisting of "basing or certain kinds of agreements or arrangements" — was a top concern "over the next year or two."</p><p>That concern was given form in late March with the leak of a draft "<a href="https://twitter.com/AnnaPowles/status/1506845794728837120" target="_blank" rel="noopener">security cooperation</a>" agreement between China and the <keyword id="12279524" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="solomon-islands" source="Orion">Solomon Islands</keyword>, which said the Solomons could ask China to send police and military personnel "to assist in maintaining social order" and that China could, with permission, make "ship visits" and send "relevant forces" to protect Chinese interests — potentially giving China's military a toehold in the South Pacific.</p><div type="image" title="China navy ship Tonga" height="1080" width="1920" msid="92501094" hostid="261" sizebytes="194614"></div><p>In the Solomons, the news prompted fear that Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare could call on Chinese forces to repress <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/china/what-is-behind-unrest-solomon-islands-2021-11-29/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">future protests</a> against his government. Neighboring countries, including <keyword id="11897977" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="australia" source="Orion">Australia</keyword>, criticized the deal as a threat to the region's governance and security. US <a href="https://www.defense.gov/News/Transcripts/Transcript/Article/3000814/pentagon-press-secretary-john-f-kirby-holds-a-press-briefing/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">defense</a> and <a href="https://www.state.gov/briefings/department-press-briefing-april-18-2022/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">diplomatic</a> officials cautioned that the deal's "broad nature" could lead to deployments of Chinese forces and "set a concerning precedent" for the region.</p><p>Sogavare, who called the backlash "very insulting," said on April 20 — two days after the Biden administration announced a trip by Campbell and other officials to the region — that he had <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/04/20/solomon-islands-china-security-agreement/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">signed the deal</a> and done so "guided by our national interests." The final text has not been released but Sogavare and Chinese officials deny it will lead to a Chinese military base.</p><p>The White House said there had been "substantial discussion" of the deal while US officials were in Honiara and that if there were moves toward a permanent military presence or "power-projection capabilities" in the Solomons the US "would then have significant concerns and respond accordingly."</p><p>China has security-related agreements with Pacific island countries, largely focused on law enforcement — Australia and <keyword id="11895805" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="new-zealand" source="Orion">New Zealand</keyword> have similar relationships — but the deal with the Solomon Islands is seen as broader in scope and as coming at a time of higher geopolitical tension.</p><p>In the weeks after the Solomons deal was signed, China's outreach appear to intensify, with reports it was pursuing <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/e2116b29-e58b-4fa0-8003-d28d18ddf06f" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a similar deal</a> with <keyword id="14304181" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="kiribati" source="Orion">Kiribati</keyword> and its proposal of a sweeping deal with 10 Pacific countries: the Solomons, Kiribati, Samoa, Fiji, Tonga, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, the Cook Islands, Niue, and the Federated States of Micronesia.</p><div type="image" title="China Wang Yi Fiji Pacific Islands meeting" height="1078" width="2000" msid="92501096" hostid="261" sizebytes="146520"></div><p>A <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/exclusive-china-seeks-pacific-islands-policing-security-cooperation-document-2022-05-25/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">draft of the proposal</a> was circulated prior to a trip to the region by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in late May. It <a href="https://apnews.com/article/wang-yi-beijing-china-new-zealand-96f78c97071116055ebc3e7c216a0ef8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">proposed</a> to "strengthen exchanges and cooperation in the fields of traditional and non traditional security," to expand law-enforcement cooperation, and to cooperate on cyber security and smart technology.</p><p>Leaders were wary before and after discussing their meetings with Wang.</p><p>In <a href="https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/22037013/letter-from-h-e-david-w-panuelo-to-pacific-island-leaders-may-20-2022-signed.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a May 20 letter</a> to 21 regional leaders, Micronesian President David Panuelo called it "the single-most game-changing proposed agreement in the Pacific in any of our lifetimes" and "demonstrative of China's intention to shift Pacific allegiances in their direction."</p><p>"The Pacific needs genuine partners, not superpowers that are super-focussed on power," Fiji President Frank Bainimarama <a href="https://twitter.com/FijiPM/status/1531180835356803072" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> on May 30, adding that after an "excellent meeting" with Wang, Fiji sought "stronger Chinese commitment" to trade and environmental issues.</p><p>The countries ultimately <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-05-30/pacific-nations-shelve-region-wide-china-deal/101109614" target="_blank" rel="noopener">didn't support</a> China's proposal. The US has cast that as <a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-asia-united-states-china-bangkok-de635c39e75c3b9f7603cff696421db0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reluctance</a> to engage with Beijing, but Wang <a href="https://thediplomat.com/2022/06/timor-leste-signs-four-cooperation-agreements-with-china/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">signed</a> other bilateral deals while in the region, and countries there with a strong interest in development assistance <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/samoa-pm-says-pacific-can-deal-with-own-security-issues-2022-06-17/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">still see</a> economic opportunity in China.</p><p>Leaders appeared "miffed" by Beijing's "abrupt" presentation of a pre-written agreement rather than discussing it first, said Charles Dunst, an expert on Asia at the Center for Strategic and <keyword id="6356001" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="international" source="Orion">International</keyword> Studies. Opposition to this specific pact doesn't indicate "a wholesale or final rejection of cooperation with China," Dunst told Insider.</p><h2>Huge challenges and strategic importance</h2><div type="image" title="Solomon Islands map" height="1270" width="2158" msid="92501098" hostid="261" sizebytes="45104"></div><p>China's Pacific outreach is a years-long effort to build relations and influence in the region, filling a "strategic vacuum" created by "benign neglect" of longstanding security and economic ties by the US, Australia, and New Zealand, Anna Powles, an expert on Pacific security issues at New Zealand's Massey University, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-presence-in-pacific-means-for-taiwan-expert-explains-what-2019-10" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told Insider in October 2019</a>.</p><p>As <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/defense-officials-worried-about-chinese-military-presence-in-latin-america-2022-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in other regions</a>, China seeks access to natural resources, trade, and infrastructure projects, such as <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/exclusive-pacific-island-turns-australia-undersea-cable-after-spurning-china-2021-06-24/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">internet cables</a> and ports and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-plans-to-upgrade-an-airstrip-strategically-located-in-kiribati-2021-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">airfields</a>.</p><p>China has also sought to expand its diplomatic ties to further isolate Taiwan — in September 2019, both <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/taiwan-loses-biggest-pacific-ally-as-solomons-embraces-china-2019-9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Solomons</a> and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-sees-kiribati-ties-soon-no-word-on-space-tracking-station-2019-9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kiribati</a> formally recognized Beijing — and to bolster its support in international forums.</p><p>China also sees strategic value in the <keyword id="14304180" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="pacific-islands" source="Orion">Pacific islands</keyword> as "<a href="https://theconversation.com/what-does-china-want-in-the-pacific-diplomatic-allies-and-strategic-footholds-184147" target="_blank" rel="noopener">footholds</a>" or "<a href="https://www.ft.com/content/e2116b29-e58b-4fa0-8003-d28d18ddf06f" target="_blank" rel="noopener">perches</a>" from which to counter the US militarily. In 2018, Australian officials said Beijing had discussed <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-vanuatu-military-post-worrying-australia-us-2018-4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">establishing a military presence with Vanuatu</a>, and there is concern about the military implications of other Chinese projects, including in <a href="https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/chinese-built-airport-next-door-australia-us-funded-navy-port" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Papua New Guinea</a> and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-plans-to-upgrade-an-airstrip-strategically-located-in-kiribati-2021-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kiribati</a>.</p><div type="image" title="China Wang Yi Kiribati Taneti Maamau handshake Beijing" height="1333" width="2000" msid="92501099" hostid="261" sizebytes="95110"></div><p>The dynamic mirrors the Allied island-hopping campaign of World War II, which sought to roll back the Empire of Japan by recapturing <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/growing-chinese-influence-in-guadalcanal-worrying-the-us-and-australia-2018-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">strategically located Pacific islands</a>. The historical link was underscored in early May, when the US State Department <a href="https://www.state.gov/commemorating-the-80th-anniversary-of-the-battle-of-coral-sea/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">commemorated</a> the 80th anniversary of the Battle of the Coral Sea, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/battle-of-the-coral-sea-world-war-ii-anniversary-2018-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a clash in the waters</a> between Australia and the Solomons that is seen as a turning point in the war.</p><p>"We've certainly seen sources that show that China is really interested in thinking about the Japanese approach to challenging US dominance of the Pacific," Anne-Marie Brady, a professor and expert in Chinese foreign policy at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand, said at <a href="https://www.hoover.org/events/us-needs-step-pacific-facing-chinas-military-challenge" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a Hoover Institution</a> event in May.</p><p>Brady said that China's economic growth and military investment since the 1990s have given it the ability to begin countering the US military in the <a href="https://nationalinterest.org/feature/why-islands-still-matter-asia-15121" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pacific island chains</a>, long been seen as defensive lines against the Soviets and now the Chinese.</p><p>New Zealand said in 2021 that a Chinese base "in the Pacific would fundamentally alter the strategic balance of the region," Brady said at the May event.</p><p>Australia's chief of joint operations, Lt. Gen. Greg Bilton, <a href="https://www.minister.defence.gov.au/minister/peter-dutton/transcripts/press-conference-abigail-bradshaw-csc-head-acsc-and-lieutenant" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in March that Chinese navy operations in the Solomons would "change the calculus" and prompt Australia's military to change its day-to-day operations, patrolling patterns, and maritime awareness activities.</p><div type="image" title="Australia HMAS Canberra soldiers Chinook Tonga" height="1344" width="2000" msid="92501101" hostid="261" sizebytes="153450"></div><p>In addition to providing better awareness of activity in the region, a more consistent Chinese military presence in the Solomons is "bound to have a political effect on the thinking of leaders in those island areas about the importance of maintaining good relations with China," Timothy Heath, a senior international defense researcher at the RAND Corporation, told Insider in April.</p><p>The US and its allies have mounted a flurry of efforts to counter China's inroads. The US said in February that it would <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/us-planning-open-embassy-solomon-islands-official-2022-02-12/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reopen its embassy</a> in the Solomons, which was closed in the 1990s. Australia's foreign minister has made multiple trips to the region in since taking office in June.</p><p>US military leaders have <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/pacific-islands-are-critical-geostrategic-ground-top-commander-says-2021-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">repeatedly underscored</a> the importance of the Pacific Islands to their operations, particularly has they try to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/air-force-studying-different-austere-bases-to-fight-in-pacific-2020-11" target="_blank" rel="noopener">disperse their forces</a> to counter the growing reach of China's arsenal. The US has <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/exclusive-counter-china-influence-us-names-envoy-lead-pacific-island-talks-2022-03-22/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stepped up</a> efforts to renegotiate the Compacts of Free Association, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-looks-to-pacific-islands-for-presence-amid-china-competition-2020-11" target="_blank" rel="noopener">its unique defense agreements with Palau, Micronesia, and the Marshall Islands</a> that expire in 2023 and 2024, holding an in-person <a href="https://twitter.com/CleoPaskal/status/1537591557037010945" target="_blank" rel="noopener">meeting</a> with the Marshall Islands in mid-June.</p><p>Time and distance has kept the US Navy from maintaining a significant presence among the Pacific Islands but it is looking to strengthen and expand its ties there, with a particular eye toward logistics support, according to Vice Adm. William Merz, who commanded the Japan-based 7th Fleet from 2019 to 2021.</p><p>"The rising tensions, especially in that region, has certainly created a whole new level of enthusiasm for more and more players to participate with the US, and we're trying to take advantage of that," Merz said at a defense industry conference in February 2022.</p><div type="image" title="US sailors Tinian harbor" height="1333" width="2000" msid="92501103" hostid="261" sizebytes="392498"></div><p>US commanders say Pacific islanders are interested in greater collaboration, in part out of concern about China, but the region's leaders also stress a desire to avoid conflict and to focus on pressing issues, specifically the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/76-years-after-wwii-battle-tarawa-marines-still-being-identified-2019-11" target="_blank" rel="noopener">existential threat of climate change</a>.</p><p>"In Fiji, we are not threatened by geopolitical competition," Fiji's defense minister said at the Shangri-La Dialogue in June. "In our Blue Pacific continent, machine guns, fighter jets, grey ships, and green battalions are not our primary security concern. The single greatest threat to our very existence is climate change."</p><p>The US appears to be taking "tangible steps" in the region, Dunst said in early June, pointing to a need for more non-military engagement, better alignment with Australia and New Zealand, and to make clear the US's long-term interest in the region outside the context of US-China competition.</p><p>On June 24, the US, Australia, New Zealand, the UK, and Japan <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/06/24/statement-by-australia-japan-new-zealand-the-united-kingdom-and-the-united-states-on-the-establishment-of-the-partners-in-the-blue-pacific-pbp/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> the Partners in the Blue Pacific initiative to support the region "according to principles of Pacific regionalism, sovereignty, transparency, accountability, and most of all, led and guided by the Pacific Islands."</p><p>In a speech prior to the announcement, Kurt Campbell underscored the US's historical ties to the Pacific and stressed the importance engaging with and supporting those countries and their region, vowing more high-level US outreach and delivery of "public goods."</p><p>"There is a general recognition that this is a region of not only moral responsibility and huge challenges — environmental and the like — but it's of strategic importance," Campbell said. "I think it will be important for us to demonstrate that as we go forward."</p>

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5c88eb85003f5c0bf5660165-1200/bridgetown barbados.jpg" border="0" alt="bridgetown barbados" data-mce-source="RUBEN M RAMOS / Shutterstock" data-mce-caption="A street bar at a bus terminal in Bridgetown, Barbados." data-link="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/bridgetown-barbados-january-31th-2018-people-1028043625" /><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/bridgetown-barbados-january-31th-2018-people-1028043625">RUBEN M RAMOS / Shutterstock</a></span></p><p class="caption">A street bar at a bus terminal in Bridgetown, Barbados.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul class="summary-list"><li>A new global health ranking has identified the most unhealthy countries in the world.</li><li>The ranking is based on 10 measures: healthy life expectancy, blood pressure, blood glucose (diabetes risk), obesity, depression, happiness, alcohol use, tobacco use, inactivity (too little exercise), and government spending on healthcare.</li><li>Countries most people consider to be idyllic, such as Saint Lucia and Barbados, ranked poorly, which comes down to poor diet and lack of exercise.</li></ul><p>A new global health ranking has identified the world's healthiest - and most unhealthy - countries in 2019.</p><p>The Indigo Wellness Index, compiled and led by Richard Davies at economics consultancy Bloomsbury Economics and published by investment business LetterOne in the new journal <a href="http://global-perspectives.org.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Global Perspectives</a>, is one of the most comprehensive to date, covering 191 countries across the globe.</p><p>The Index created a series of rankings based on 10 key measures, ordering the countries from the weakest performers (ranked 1) to the strongest (ranked, for example, 191).</p><p>The 10 measures were healthy life expectancy, blood pressure, blood glucose (diabetes risk), obesity, depression, happiness, alcohol use, tobacco use, inactivity (too little exercise), and government spending on healthcare.</p><p>It then calculated a ratio to asses how close each country is to the best score overall - the worst score is 0, while the best score is 1.</p><p><strong><em>Read more: </em></strong><em><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/best-countries-for-women-ranked-2019-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RANKED: The 19 best countries to live in if you're a woman</a></em></p><p>While Canada came out on top as the most healthy country, war-torn sub-Saharan African countries were some of the worst performers. Perhaps more surprising, though, are the poor rankings for countries most people consider to be idyllic, such as Saint Lucia and Barbados, which, the data shows, comes down to poor diet and lack of exercise.</p><p>Scroll down to see the most unhealthy countries in the world, ranked in ascending order.</p><p><em>Note: Countries where data was missing on more than one measure (including South Sudan, Palau, Niue, Tuvalu, Cook Islands, Bahamas, Equatorial Guinea, and Libya) were excluded from the final index, which features 151 countries, 68 of which had all 10 measures available, and 83 of which had 9 measures available. The final ranking accounts for over 95% of the world's population.</em></p>

The 20 most unhealthy countries on earth, ranked

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Whatever happens in society resonates in the <keyword id="6357280" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="workplace">workplace</keyword>, and during this past year companies, just like the rest of society, have responded to everything from the global pandemic, to questions of social justice.</li><li>Work might never look exactly the same, as hybrid models between office and home become the norm, individuals are looking to live how they want, where they want. Technology advances have made this possible as never before. </li><li>Culturally, the workplace might undergo an even more profound sea change over the next period, as employees become more vocal about the responsibilities companies have to foster a more equitable society. </li><li>On January 27 at Noon ET, Insider is hositing a free virtual event, featuring speakers from <keyword id="47120" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="PG">P&amp;G</keyword>, <keyword id="128682" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Netflix">Netflix</keyword>, <keyword id="28251" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Dell">Dell</keyword>, and more, talking about the future of work, the office, and employee engagement.</li></ul><p dir="ltr">The office is a microcosm of the world. And the year 2020 has seen traditional ideas of workforce and workplace conditions and dynamics disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic and social unrest. Employers were forced to rethink workplace protocols, invest in safety strategies and remote infrastructures and reevaluate what it means to lead an organization efficiently while finding opportunities for growth, inclusiveness and social empowerment. </p><p dir="ltr">The constantly changing work environment requires clear communication plans, innovation in technology, and reevaluation of what community means. Technology plays a major role in managing performance and opportunities as well as employee health and safety, regardless of whether employees are working on-site, remote, or traveling. </p><p dir="ltr">The remote workforce is here to stay as hybrid models of remote and on-site work emerge. It is up to organizations and their leaders to shift their approach in response to these pandemics from 'do it light' to 'do it right' in order to lead and foster innovation and talent for years to come.</p><p dir="ltr">Business Insider's virtual event "Workplace Evolution" presented by Dell is taking place on January 27, 2021 at Noon ET, and will include conversations around how to empower remote and hybrid workers, what opportunities and challenges organizations face in this new world, and what the shift from "work from home" to "live at work" really means.</p><h2 dir="ltr"><strong>Speakers and sessions include: </strong></h2><ul><li dir="ltr">Virtual Leadership - Creating New Habits for Leading in a Virtual Environment, featuring <strong>Penny Pullan,</strong> author of "Virtual Leadership: Practical Strategies for Getting the Best Out of Virtual Work and Virtual Teams". </li><li dir="ltr">The Big Shift of 2020, with <strong>Verna Meyers, VP of Inclusion Strategy at Netflix. </strong></li><li dir="ltr">Empowering Your Employees, with <strong>Najuma Atkinson, SVP of Human Resources at Dell Technologies.</strong></li><li dir="ltr">The New Workplace Landscape, featuring <strong>Karl Pressier, HR Director  - Global Diversity and Inclusion at P&amp;G.</strong></li></ul>                    <h1 class="formheader">Register For "Workplace Evolution"</h1>                                                                                                                                                                                                  Afghanistan          Åland Islands          Albania          Algeria          American Samoa          Andorra          Angola          Anguilla          Antarctica          Antigua and Barbuda          Argentina          Armenia          Aruba          Australia          Austria          Azerbaijan          Bahamas          Bahrain          Bangladesh          Barbados          Belarus          Belgium          Belize          Benin          Bermuda          Bhutan          Bolivia, Plurinational State of          Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba          Bosnia and Herzegovina          Botswana          Bouvet Island          Brazil          British Indian Ocean Territory          Brunei Darussalam          Bulgaria          Burkina Faso          Burundi          Cambodia          Cameroon          Canada          Cape Verde          Cayman Islands          Central African Republic          Chad          Chile          China          Christmas Island          Cocos (Keeling) Islands          Colombia          Comoros          Congo          Congo, the Democratic Republic of the          Cook Islands          Costa Rica          Côte d'Ivoire          Croatia          Cuba          Curaçao          Cyprus          Czech Republic          Denmark          Djibouti          Dominica          Dominican Republic          Ecuador          Egypt          El Salvador          Equatorial Guinea          Eritrea          Estonia          Ethiopia          Falkland Islands (Malvinas)          Faroe Islands          Fiji          Finland          France          French Guiana          French Polynesia          French Southern Territories          Gabon          Gambia          Georgia          Germany          Ghana          Gibraltar          Greece          Greenland          Grenada          Guadeloupe          Guam          Guatemala          Guernsey          Guinea          Guinea-Bissau          Guyana          Haiti          Heard Island and McDonald Islands          Holy See (Vatican City State)          Honduras          Hong Kong          Hungary          Iceland          India          Indonesia          Iran, Islamic Republic of          Iraq          Ireland          Isle of Man          Israel          Italy          Jamaica          Japan          Jersey          Jordan          Kazakhstan          Kenya          Kiribati          Korea, Democratic People's Republic of          Korea, Republic of          Kuwait          Kyrgyzstan          Lao People's Democratic Republic          Latvia          Lebanon          Lesotho          Liberia          Libya          Liechtenstein          Lithuania          Luxembourg          Macao          Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of          Madagascar          Malawi          Malaysia          Maldives          Mali          Malta          Marshall Islands          Martinique          Mauritania          Mauritius          Mayotte          Mexico          Micronesia, Federated States of          Moldova, Republic of          Monaco          Mongolia          Montenegro          Montserrat          Morocco          Mozambique          Myanmar          Namibia          Nauru          Nepal          Netherlands          New Caledonia          New Zealand          Nicaragua          Niger          Nigeria          Niue          Norfolk Island          Northern Mariana Islands          Norway          Oman          Pakistan          Palau          Palestinian Territory, Occupied          Panama          Papua New Guinea          Paraguay          Peru          Philippines          Pitcairn          Poland          Portugal          Puerto Rico          Qatar          Réunion          Romania          Russian Federation          Rwanda          Saint Barthélemy          Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha          Saint Kitts and Nevis          Saint Lucia          Saint Martin (French part)          Saint Pierre and Miquelon          Saint Vincent and the Grenadines          Samoa          San Marino          Sao Tome and Principe          Saudi Arabia          Senegal          Serbia          Seychelles          Sierra Leone          Singapore          Sint Maarten (Dutch part)          Slovakia          Slovenia          Solomon Islands          Somalia          South Africa          South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands          South Sudan          Spain          Sri Lanka          Sudan          Suriname          Svalbard and Jan Mayen          Swaziland          Sweden          Switzerland          Syrian Arab Republic          Taiwan, Province of China          Tajikistan          Tanzania, United Republic of          Thailand          Timor-Leste          Togo          Tokelau          Tonga          Trinidad and Tobago          Tunisia          Turkey          Turkmenistan          Turks and Caicos Islands          Tuvalu          Uganda          Ukraine          United Arab Emirates          United Kingdom          United States          United States Minor Outlying Islands          Uruguay          Uzbekistan          Vanuatu          Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of          Viet Nam          Virgin Islands, British          Virgin Islands, U.S.          Wallis and Futuna          Western Sahara          Yemen          Zambia          Zimbabwe                          Yes, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider Inc. and event sponsors and accept the <a href="https://www.insider-inc.com/terms">terms and conditions</a>,  <a href="https://www.insider-inc.com/privacy-policy">Privacy</a>, and <a href="https://www.insider-inc.com/cookie-policy">Cookie Policies</a> and agree to receive marketing emails from Insider Inc. You can opt-out of emails at any time.  Registration information will only be shared with the event sponsors.                                                             

Execs from Netflix, P&G, Dell, tackle the future of the workplace at Insider's upcoming virtual event

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="6354851" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="retail">Retail</keyword> innovations in subscription serivces, marketing, and delivery have accelerated with the global pandemic. </li><li>Consumers expect more from brands in terms of service and delivery, and in their responsiveness to issues related to social inequity.  </li><li>IGNITION: A Retail Revolution features speakers from Macy's, Salesforce, GroupM, BARK, and DoorDash, featuring sessions.</li><li>Cassi Pittman Claytor, who was named one of Business Insider's <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tb/the-list-of-300-people-transforming-business-in-north-america-2020-9">100 People Transforming Business in North America</a>, is keynoting the event with a session titled, "<strong style="color: #222222;">Brand Transformation Is The Key To Retail's Survival".</strong></li></ul><p>Disruption in retail has only been accelerated by the global pandemic. Major changes from the decline of brick-and-mortar stores, to the rise of ecommerce, and growth in social commerce, have been  since before people stayed home, bought online, and became more engaged in social issues.</p><p>Join Business Insider for a series of conversations with entrepreneurs and industry experts to discuss new strategies, innovations, and retail's place in a society undergoing massive change.</p><p><strong>IGNITION: A Retail Revolution</strong> opens with a keynote titled "Brand Transformation is the Key to Retail's Survival", by <strong>Cassi Pittman Claytor</strong>, Climo Junior Professor of Sociology at Case Western Reserve University.</p><p>Pittman Claytor, who was named one of Business Insider's <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tb/the-list-of-300-people-transforming-business-in-north-america-2020-9">100 People Transforming Business in North America</a>, has consulted with companies like Sephora, demonstrating how racism interferes in each part of the customer journey, from the moment a consumer realizes they have a need to the moment they make that purchase.</p><p>Other topics covered will include the rise of subscription services, "last mile" delivery partnerships, and social commerce in an omnichannel world. </p><p><strong>Speakers include:</strong> </p><ul><li><strong>Kieley Taylor</strong>, Managing Partner, Global VP, Social, <strong>GroupM</strong></li><li><strong>Rob Garf</strong>, VP Industry Insights, Retail and Consumer Goods, <strong>Salesforce</strong></li><li><strong>Meghan Knoll</strong>, GM Super Chewer, <strong>BARK</strong></li><li><strong>Carly Brush</strong>, Director &amp; General Manager, Retail &amp; Fulfillment Incubation, <strong>DoorDash</strong></li><li><strong>Sean Barbour</strong>, VP of Supply Chain Strategy, <strong>Macy's</strong></li><li><strong>Shane Pittson,</strong> Head of Growth and Marketing, <strong>Quip</strong></li></ul><p>The event will be hosted by <strong>Gloria Dawson, Senior Editor of Retail at Business Insider</strong>.<br /><br /><strong>Date and Time:</strong></p><ul><li>November 12, 2020</li><li>12:00 pm-1:30 pm ET</li></ul>                    <h1 class="formheader">Register For "IGNITION: A Retail Revolution"</h1>                                                                                                                                                                                                  Afghanistan          Åland Islands          Albania          Algeria          American Samoa          Andorra          Angola          Anguilla          Antarctica          Antigua and Barbuda          Argentina          Armenia          Aruba          Australia          Austria          Azerbaijan          Bahamas          Bahrain          Bangladesh          Barbados          Belarus          Belgium          Belize          Benin          Bermuda          Bhutan          Bolivia, Plurinational State of          Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba          Bosnia and Herzegovina          Botswana          Bouvet Island          Brazil          British Indian Ocean Territory          Brunei Darussalam          Bulgaria          Burkina Faso          Burundi          Cambodia          Cameroon          Canada          Cape Verde          Cayman Islands          Central African Republic          Chad          Chile          China          Christmas Island          Cocos (Keeling) Islands          Colombia          Comoros          Congo          Congo, the Democratic Republic of the          Cook Islands          Costa Rica          Côte d'Ivoire          Croatia          Cuba          Curaçao          Cyprus          Czech Republic          Denmark          Djibouti          Dominica          Dominican Republic          Ecuador          Egypt          El Salvador          Equatorial Guinea          Eritrea          Estonia          Ethiopia          Falkland Islands (Malvinas)          Faroe Islands          Fiji          Finland          France          French Guiana          French Polynesia          French Southern Territories          Gabon          Gambia          Georgia          Germany          Ghana          Gibraltar          Greece          Greenland          Grenada          Guadeloupe          Guam          Guatemala          Guernsey          Guinea          Guinea-Bissau          Guyana          Haiti          Heard Island and McDonald Islands          Holy See (Vatican City State)          Honduras          Hong Kong          Hungary          Iceland          India          Indonesia          Iran, Islamic Republic of          Iraq          Ireland          Isle of Man          Israel          Italy          Jamaica          Japan          Jersey          Jordan          Kazakhstan          Kenya          Kiribati          Korea, Democratic People's Republic of          Korea, Republic of          Kuwait          Kyrgyzstan          Lao People's Democratic Republic          Latvia          Lebanon          Lesotho          Liberia          Libya          Liechtenstein          Lithuania          Luxembourg          Macao          Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of          Madagascar          Malawi          Malaysia          Maldives          Mali          Malta          Marshall Islands          Martinique          Mauritania          Mauritius          Mayotte          Mexico          Micronesia, Federated States of          Moldova, Republic of          Monaco          Mongolia          Montenegro          Montserrat          Morocco          Mozambique          Myanmar          Namibia          Nauru          Nepal          Netherlands          New Caledonia          New Zealand          Nicaragua          Niger          Nigeria          Niue          Norfolk Island          Northern Mariana Islands          Norway          Oman          Pakistan          Palau          Palestinian Territory, Occupied          Panama          Papua New Guinea          Paraguay          Peru          Philippines          Pitcairn          Poland          Portugal          Puerto Rico          Qatar          Réunion          Romania          Russian Federation          Rwanda          Saint Barthélemy          Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha          Saint Kitts and Nevis          Saint Lucia          Saint Martin (French part)          Saint Pierre and Miquelon          Saint Vincent and the Grenadines          Samoa          San Marino          Sao Tome and Principe          Saudi Arabia          Senegal          Serbia          Seychelles          Sierra Leone          Singapore          Sint Maarten (Dutch part)          Slovakia          Slovenia          Solomon Islands          Somalia          South Africa          South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands          South Sudan          Spain          Sri Lanka          Sudan          Suriname          Svalbard and Jan Mayen          Swaziland          Sweden          Switzerland          Syrian Arab Republic          Taiwan, Province of China          Tajikistan          Tanzania, United Republic of          Thailand          Timor-Leste          Togo          Tokelau          Tonga          Trinidad and Tobago          Tunisia          Turkey          Turkmenistan          Turks and Caicos Islands          Tuvalu          Uganda          Ukraine          United Arab Emirates          United Kingdom          United States          United States Minor Outlying Islands          Uruguay          Uzbekistan          Vanuatu          Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of          Viet Nam          Virgin Islands, British          Virgin Islands, U.S.          Wallis and Futuna          Western Sahara          Yemen          Zambia          Zimbabwe                          Yes, I agree to receive marketing emails from Insider Inc. and event sponsors and accept Insider Inc.'s website <a href="https://www.insider-inc.com/terms">terms of use</a> and <a href="https://www.insider-inc.com/privacy-policy">privacy</a> and <a href="https://www.insider-inc.com/cookie-policy">cookie</a> policies. You can opt-out of emails at any time. Registration information will be shared only with the event sponsors.                                                            

SIGN UP NOW: Speakers from Macy's, BARK, Salesforce, DoorDash, and more talk about subscription services, "last mile delivery", and social justice at the IGNITION: A Retail Revolution virtual event

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/57e144f4dd08950e618b4ce4-1200/shutterstock_246740491.jpg" alt="easter island" data-mce-source="Bryan Buscovicki/Shutterstock" data-link="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-246740491/stock-photo-ahu-tongariki-the-largest-ahu-on-easter-island.html?src=RJRyFjaHajI0-o2aP_Bhug-1-0" /><p class="source"><span><a href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-246740491/stock-photo-ahu-tongariki-the-largest-ahu-on-easter-island.html?src=RJRyFjaHajI0-o2aP_Bhug-1-0">Bryan Buscovicki/Shutterstock</a></span></p><p class="caption">Easter Island is over 2,000 miles away from the nearest mainland in Chile, but which is the most remote?</p></div><p></p></div></div>A secluded island can be <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/remote-islands-you-should-visit-in-your-lifetime-2015-7/#-snorkeling-or-scuba-diving-on-one-of-the-solomon-islands--a-group-of-hundreds-of-islands-in-the-south-pacific-off-the-coast-of-papua-new-guinea-tetepare-island-is-home-to-some-stunning-creatures-that-live-on-the-island-or-in-the-islands-waters-4" target="_blank">a great place to take a holiday</a>, but there are still some places in the world we know little about.</p><p>We've rounded up the most remote islands on earth, based on their distance from the nearest mainland.</p><p>Our list includes places that have turned their obscurity into a tourist attraction, like the Galapagos Islands, where <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/best-resort-in-the-galapagos-2016-6" target="_blank">some hotel rooms can cost visitors thousands</a>.</p><p>Others are inhabited by scientific researchers or have indigenous populations that are cut off from the outside world, like North Senitel Island. The native Senitelese are <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/sentinelese-uncontacted-island-tribe-photos-2016-5?pundits_only=0&amp;get_all_comments=1&amp;no_reply_filter=1?r=US&amp;IR=T/#north-sentinel-island-lies-off-the-coast-of-the-great-adaman-archipelago-a-chain-of-islands-in-the-middle-of-the-indian-ocean-between-india-and-the-malay-peninsula-1">pretty hostile</a> towards visitors from the mainland.</p><p>From Bear Island in the North Pole to Niue in the South Pacific Ocean, here are our 15.</p>

The 15 most remote islands you can visit around the world

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5af0f0d319ee8625008b49b9-2400/gettyimages-57262151.jpg" border="0" alt="New Zealand and China flag" data-mce-source="Marty Melville/Getty Images" /><p class="source"><span>Marty Melville/Getty Images</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul><li><strong>Beijing's growing influence in Asia is worrying neighbors and their partners around the world.</strong></li><li><strong>Western countries are acutely concerned about China's links to New Zealand.</strong></li><li><strong>According to a report, China's presence in New Zealand could compromise the Five Eyes partnership.</strong></li></ul><hr /><p>Countries around Asia and their partners are <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/ways-countries-in-asia-are-responding-to-china-2018-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">increasingly concerned about China's growing influence</a>, and members of the Five Eyes partnership - the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand - are concerned about Beijing's growing influence in New Zealand, according to a report published in May by Canada's Security Intelligence Service.</p><p>The <a href="https://www.canada.ca/content/dam/csis-scrs/documents/publications/CSIS-Academic-Outreach-China-report-May-2018-en.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a>, which is based on presentations at an academic conference but does not represent the security service's formal views, says New Zealand faces "a concerted foreign interference campaign" from China, which wants to "access strategic information and resources" and build support for its objectives "by co-opting political and economic elites" in New Zealand.</p><p>These efforts have taken the form of business opportunities, investments, scholarships, and vanity projects to win over local business elites; attempts to bring local Chinese communities under Beijing's sway and influence voting habits; and the use of acquisitions and partnerships with New Zealand companies and universities to establish a local presence, expand influence, and gain access to military technology, commercial secrets, and other valuable information.</p><p>Chinese Communist Party leadership regards New Zealand as "an exemplar" of the kind of relationship it wants with other countries, the report says, adding that China's "political influence activities in New Zealand have now reached a critical level."</p><p>Some of these efforts are direct threats to national security, according to the report, while others pose long-term risks to free society, including limiting the rights for the ethnic Chinese community, quashing public debate about China, and corrupting the political system.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5ab570ea821646d5378b45ed-2400/streets-and-sky-of-wellington-new-zealand.jpg" border="0" alt="streets and sky of wellington new zealand" data-mce-source="Szilas/Good Free Photos" data-mce-caption="A street in Wellington, New Zealand." data-link="https://www.goodfreephotos.com/new-zealand/wellington/streets-and-sky-of-wellington-new-zealand.jpg.php" /><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.goodfreephotos.com/new-zealand/wellington/streets-and-sky-of-wellington-new-zealand.jpg.php">Szilas/Good Free Photos</a></span></p><p class="caption">A street in Wellington, New Zealand.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Governments in New Zealand have courted China for some time, first to balance Soviet influence and secure aid, and later to diversify Wellington's international relationships. New Zealand was the first Western country to sign on to China's massive international-development project, the Belt and Road Initiative.</p><p>The previous government in Wellington also worked to avoid offending China and develop links with Chinese Community Party leaders - which, the report says, "fed and encouraged the success of China's political influence activities in New Zealand."</p><p>New Zealand itself is of particular interest to Beijing for several reasons, according to the report.</p><p>The government in Wellington is responsible for the <keyword id="6354810" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="defense">defense</keyword> and foreign affairs of three South Pacific territories, the Cook Islands, Niue, and Tokelau, which means influence in New Zealand could potentially yield four votes in support of China at international bodies.</p><p>New Zealand is also a potential asset to China because of its plans for Antarctica and outer-space research. It also has unexplored oil and gas resources. Moreover, New Zealand is an important agricultural supplier to China and has cheap, arable land of which China could make use.</p><p>New Zealand is a member of the Five Eyes network as well as a NATO partner.</p><p>"New Zealand is valuable to China, as well as to other states such as Russia, as a soft underbelly through which to access Five Eyes intelligence," the report states, noting that pulling New Zealand away from those alliances would also further China's efforts to become a global power.</p><p>Concern that New Zealand has been compromised by Chinese influence has led some to question whether it can remain in the Five Eyes club.</p><p>"In New Zealand, both the last prime minister, Bill English, and [current Prime Minister] Jacinda Ardern, have denied that there's a problem at all, " Peter Mattis, a former CIA expert on China, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/new-zealand-should-be-cut-from-five-eyes-over-china-influence-2018-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission in April. Mattis also said a major fundraiser for the current government was linked to China's "<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/new-zealand-should-be-cut-from-five-eyes-over-china-influence-2018-5">United Front</a>" influence-building work.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5a9488165124c9fb6830d2a2-800/new-zealand-prime-minister-creates-new-cabinet-post-for-disarmament.jpg" border="0" alt="FILE PHOTO - New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern arrives to attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit and related meetings in Clark, Pampanga, northern Philippines November 12, 2017. REUTERS/Erik De Castro" data-mce-source="Thomson Reuters" data-mce-caption="New Zealand's PM Ardern arrives to attend ASEAN Summit and related meetings in Clark, Pampanga" /><p class="source"><span>Thomson Reuters</span></p><p class="caption">New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern arrives to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in the northern Philippines, November 12, 2017.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>"I think that at some level the Five Eyes, or the Four Eyes, need to have a discussion about whether or not New Zealand can remain given this problem with the political core," said Mattis, who is now a fellow at The Jamestown Foundation. "It needs to be put in those terms so that New Zealand's government understands that the consequences are substantial for not thinking through and addressing some of the problems that they face."</p><p>Ardern, who took over as prime minister in late October, <a href="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&amp;objectid=12058818" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told the New Zealand Herald</a> no such concerns had been expressed to her by US officials.</p><p>"None of them have ever raised such concerns with me, nor have I heard that they've ever been raised with anyone else," Ardern said. "Our intelligence agencies are constantly undertaking a wide range of investigative activity on foreign threats and we constantly review our safeguards."</p><p>Ardern <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jun/01/chinese-interference-in-new-zealand-at-critical-stage-says-canada-spy-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told The Guardian</a> she "had no indication that our Five Eyes membership is under question" from other members.</p><p>The general secretary of Ardern's Labour Party <a href="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&amp;objectid=12058818" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> the party followed the law on donations and had no idea to which fundraiser Mattis was referring. New Zealand's opposition leader also denied that the former prime minister had improper contact with Chinese officials.</p><p>Experts <a href="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&amp;objectid=12058818" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in New Zealand said</a> a rising power like China should be expected to seek more influence abroad and that Wellington should be responsive to Washington's concerns - but they also cautioned against letting New Zealand be cast in a Cold War-style conflict with China that some US officials seem interested in creating.</p><p>"For a small state like New Zealand ... it can often be a challenge as to how to defend the country against foreign political interference," the CSIS report concludes. "It takes the political will of the government of the day and popular support to do so. If New Zealand can find a way to better manage its economic and political relationship with the PRC, it could become a model to other Western states."</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/why-the-yuan-not-euro-could-become-global-currency-dollar-china-usa-eu-dharshini-david-2018-4">Why China's Yuan, not the Euro, could become the dominant global currency</a></h3>        <div>            <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" data-player="jwplayer" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/gotiKeOQ-CEZHWCBG.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><script>function receiveMessage(event){ console.log(event.data.fullscreen); Android.fullscreen(event.data.fullscreen); }window.addEventListener("message", receiveMessage, false);</script>        </div>    </div>

Western intelligence is warning that Chinese influence in New Zealand is at a 'critical' level

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table lead-image-small"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5c90f13bdaa5071e491e408b-1024/puerto-rico-jan-2019chase-sapphire-preferred-credit-card-25.jpg" border="0" alt="Puerto Rico Jan 2019_Chase Sapphire Preferred Credit Card 25" data-mce-source="The Points Guy" /><p class="source"><span>The Points Guy</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul class="summary-list"><li>The <a href="https://thepointsguy.com/card-details/chase-sapphire-preferred-card/?utm_campaign=bi_09232019_lt_csp-bonus-flights&amp;utm_source=referral">Chase Sapphire Preferred Card</a> is one of the best credit cards for earning <keyword id="6354692" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Travel">travel</keyword> points on your everyday spending.</li><li>It's currently offering 60,000 points to new cardholders who spend $4,000 in the first three months. </li><li>60,000 Chase points are equivalent to $750 toward travel when you book flights, hotels, and more directly through Chase.</li><li>You can also redeem points with Chase transfer partners such as British Airways and Singapore Airlines. You can fly to numerous destinations for under 60,000 points year-round.</li></ul><p>For years, the <a href="https://thepointsguy.com/card-details/chase-sapphire-preferred-card/?utm_campaign=bi_09232019_lt_csp-bonus-flights&amp;utm_source=referral">Chase Sapphire Preferred card</a> offered new users 50,000 points, provided they spend and pay off at least $4,000 within the first three months of owning the card. 50,000 points was already more than many competing cards offered, but Chase recently upped its sign-up bonus to 60,000 points. You still have to pay off $4,000 within the first few months; the main difference is that the $95 annual fee is no longer waived for the first year.</p><p>This sign-up bonus is only available to new <a href="https://thepointsguy.com/card-details/chase-sapphire-preferred-card/?utm_campaign=bi_09232019_lt_csp-bonus-flights&amp;utm_source=referral">Chase Sapphire Preferred</a> members and people who haven't received a membership bonus for at least 48 months. If you're a traveler who's been wondering if this card makes sense for you, here are some examples of how you can put the 60,000-point bonus to use for free flights.</p><p><em>Keep in mind that we're focusing on the rewards and perks that make these credit cards great options, not things like interest rates and late fees, which can far outweigh the value of any rewards.</em></p><p><em>When you're working to earn credit card rewards, it's important to practice financial discipline, like paying your balances off in full each month, making payments on time, and not spending more than you can afford to pay back. Basically, </em><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/which-is-better-credit-vs-debit-cards-2018-3"><em>treat your credit card like a debit card</em></a><em>.</em></p><h2>How does the Chase Sapphire Preferred credit card work?</h2><p>Many travel rewards credit cards partner with one airline. For example, the <a href="https://thepointsguy.com/card-details/united-explorer-card/?utm_campaign=bi_09232019_lt_csp-bonus-flights&amp;utm_source=referral">United Explorer Card</a> will hook you up with flights through United Airlines, and the American Airlines AAdvantage MileUp℠ card only lets you apply those points to American Airlines flights.</p><p>The <a href="https://thepointsguy.com/card-details/chase-sapphire-preferred-card/?utm_campaign=bi_09232019_lt_csp-bonus-flights&amp;utm_source=referral">Chase Sapphire Preferred card</a>, on the other hand, earns <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/transferable-points-credit-card-2018-1">transferable points</a>. The <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-use-chase-ultimate-rewards-points-2018-1">Chase Ultimate Rewards points</a> it earns can be transferred to the loyalty programs of Chase's various travel partners, including United Airlines, JetBlue, and British Airways, just to name a few. This could make it easier (and maybe even cheaper) to find a flight than you might experience with other rewards programs.</p><p>60,000 Chase points is equivalent to $750 of travel money, which can be used to book hotel rooms, rental cars, cruises, and of course, flights through the Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal.</p><p>By spending $1 with the card, you'll earn 1 Chase point. If you use the card to pay for designated travel purchases or at restaurants, you earn 2 points per dollar. When you look at your account, you'll see exactly how many miles you have, along with the corresponding amount in travel dollars.</p><p><em><strong>Read more:</strong> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/chase-sapphire-preferred-card-review">Chase Sapphire Preferred card review</a></em></p><h2>Booking flights for under 60,000 Chase points</h2><p>Sure, you could accumulate tens of thousands of points over the years to book, say, three round-trip tickets from Los Angeles to Sydney. But where can you fly with 60,000 points from the <a href="https://thepointsguy.com/card-details/chase-sapphire-preferred-card/?utm_campaign=bi_09232019_lt_csp-bonus-flights&amp;utm_source=referral">Chase Sapphire Preferred card</a>'s sign-up bonus? </p><p>You could choose to book flights directly through the Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal, which you'll find after signing into your Chase account. When you redeem points from the Chase Sapphire Preferred this way, you'll get 1.25 cents per point toward travel (hence, 60,000 points equal $750 toward travel)</p><p>However, the number of points you'll spend can differ depending on which day you buy and what time of year you travel. As a potential member, this makes it difficult to know ahead of time if you can pay for that dream trip to Italy with 60,000 travel points.</p><p><em><strong>Read more:</strong> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/best-chase-card">The best Chase credit cards to open now</a></em></p><h3>Chase Ultimate Rewards airline transfer partners</h3><p>The alternative? From your Chase account, redeem your travel points with one of its airlines transfer partners. You can move your Chase points to airline partners at a 1:1 ratio, so one Chase points equals one mile with United, Singapore, and other partners.</p><p>Certain airline partners, like Singapore Airlines and British Airways, have consistent rules about how many points you'll spend to fly to a certain destination, regardless of the date of purchase or time of year you fly. These strict numbers often result in your spending fewer points than if you went directly through Chase's portal to book a flight.</p><p>Airline transfer partners can be confusing, and frankly, only some of them provide truly great deals. Let's look at some of the best deals for travelers flying economy. In some cases, you couldn't have booked these flights with the <a href="https://thepointsguy.com/card-details/chase-sapphire-preferred-card/?utm_campaign=bi_09232019_lt_csp-bonus-flights&amp;utm_source=referral">Sapphire Preferred card</a>'s original sign-up bonus of 50,000 Ultimate Rewards points.</p><h2>One-way tickets for 60,000 Chase points or less</h2><h3>North America to the UK and Ireland with British Airways</h3><p>When it comes to using travel points (or Avios, as they call it), British Airways charges you a number of points based on the distance between your original airport and the destination airport.</p><p>For example, the distance between New York (JFK) and London (LHR) is 3,440 miles. If you look at the chart, you'll see that this flight will cost you 20,750 Avios in economy.</p><p>If you book nonstop flights, it's definitely possible to pay for a round-trip ticket for under 60,000 points. However, many journeys to the UK and Ireland from America require at least one stop. In these cases, British Airways calculates the number of miles from point A to point B, then point B to point C, rather than directly from point A to point C. As a result, the number of miles is higher, and it can be hard to pay for a round-trip ticket with only 60,000 points.</p><p><em><strong>Read more:</strong> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/best-current-credit-card-signup-bonuses">The best current credit card sign-up offers</a></em></p><h3>North America to the Middle East with Iberia Plus</h3><p>British Airways and Iberia Plus are both members of the Oneworld airline alliance, meaning their charts have a lot of similarities.</p><p>There are two main differences between the two partners. First, Iberia changes the number of points it charges depending on whether it's peak travel season or the off-season. Second, British Airways adds up the number of miles from destination to destination, which racks up points. But Iberia only considers the number of miles from point A to point C (or point D or E). This makes it much easier to book tickets to faraway places, such as the Middle East.</p><h3>North America to Southeast Asia with Singapore Airlines</h3><p>Have you long dreamt of backpacking around Southeast Asia? The Singapore Airlines redemption chart shows that 55,000 Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer miles will get you to Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, or Vietnam.</p><p><em><strong>Read more:</strong> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/chase-sapphire-preferred-reserve-credit-card-comparison">Chase Sapphire Preferred vs. Sapphire Reserve - which credit card is best for you?</a></em></p><h3>North America to North Asia with Singapore Airlines</h3><p>Spend 48,000 KrisFlyer miles to fly one-way to Hong Kong, Macau, or Taiwan. Spend 54,000 to fly to Mainland China, Guam, Japan, Micronesia, Palau, Russia Far East, or South Korea.</p><h3>North America to Southwest Pacific with Singapore Airlines</h3><p>For 60,000 KrisFlyer miles, you can travel to Australia, Cook Islands, Fiji, New Zealand, Niue, Norfolk Island, Samoa, Tahiti, Tonga, or Vanuatu.</p><h3>North America to Central-South Africa with Singapore Airlines</h3><p>For 52,000 KrisFlyer miles, fly from North America to one of 21 African countries, including places like Ethiopia, Madagascar, and South Africa.</p><p><em><strong>Read more:</strong> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/chase-sapphire-preferred-best-beginner-points-credit-card">Why I'm convinced the Chase Sapphire Preferred is one of the best starter credit cards to earn points and miles</a></em></p><h3>North America to Central-South Asia with Singapore Airlines</h3><p>Looking for an unconventional destination? Spend 55,000 KrisFlyer miles to fly one-way to Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, or Uzbekistan.</p><h2>Round-trip tickets for 60,000 Chase points or less</h2><h3>North America to Europe with Singapore Airlines</h3><p>By transferring points, you can fly round-trip from North America to Europe for 55,000 KrisFlyer miles. This includes 37 European countries, ranging from France to Lithuania to the Canary Islands.</p><h4>North America to South America with Singapore Airlines</h4><p>This round-trip journey costs 60,000 KrisFlyer miles. You can fly to 10 South American countries, including Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela.</p><p>This is not an exhaustive list by any means, but it should give you an idea of the wide range of possibilities available with 60,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points. Don't forget that the Chase Ultimate Rewards program includes hotel transfer partners as well, so you can move points earned with your <a href="https://thepointsguy.com/card-details/chase-sapphire-preferred-card/?utm_campaign=bi_09232019_lt_csp-bonus-flights&amp;utm_source=referral">Chase Sapphire Preferred card</a> to book stays with Hyatt, IHG, and Marriott.</p><h3><a href="https://thepointsguy.com/card-details/chase-sapphire-preferred-card/?utm_campaign=bi_09232019_lt_csp-bonus-flights&amp;utm_source=referral">Click here to learn more about the Chase Sapphire Preferred card.</a></h3><ul class="read-more-links"><li>More <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/credit-cards">credit card</a> coverage</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/best-airline-credit-card-comparison-delta-united-american">What's the best airline credit card?</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/best-cash-back-credit-cards">The best cash-back credit cards</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/southwest-credit-card-comparison-which-to-get">Southwest credit card review</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/best-rewards-credit-cards">Best rewards credit cards</a></li></ul><p class="tagline"><p style="font-size:14px;"><em>Disclosure: This post is brought to you by the Personal Finance Insider team. 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We operate independently from our advertising sales team.</em></p><p style="font-size:14px;"><em>Business Insider may receive a commission from The Points Guy Affiliate Network, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.</em></p><p style="font-size:14px;"><em>Please note: While the offers mentioned above are accurate at the time of publication, they're subject to change at any time and may have changed, or may no longer be available.</em></p></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/democratic-candidates-2020-presidential-debate-us-economy-2019-7">Here's how the top 7 Democratic presidential candidates want to transform the US economy</a></h3>        <div>            <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" data-player="jwplayer" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/6SBQmPDx-CEZHWCBG.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><script>function receiveMessage(event){ console.log(event.data.fullscreen); Android.fullscreen(event.data.fullscreen); }window.addEventListener("message", receiveMessage, false);</script>        </div>    </div>

9 ways to use the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card's sign-up bonus to book free flights

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right"><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/53d7c978eab8eadc16c44751-710-532/commonwealth-cocktail.jpg?maxX=480" border="0" alt="Commonwealth Cocktail" width="480" style="float: right;" /><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/PeopleMakeGlasgow/photos/pb.235097883181018.-2207520000.1406650683./816674498356684/?type=3&amp;theater">PEOPLE MAKE GLASGOW/Facebook</a></span></p><p class="caption">The Commonwealth Cocktail</p></div><p></p></div>Bartenders beware - this might be the most complicated drink on earth.</p>
<p>In celebration of the <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=xx+commonwealth+games&amp;oq=XX+c&amp;aqs=chrome.0.69i59j69i57j0l4.975j0j7&amp;sourceid=chrome&amp;es_sm=91&amp;ie=UTF-8">XX Commonwealth Games</a> in Glasgow, Scotland, top Glasgow mixologist Mal Spence of the <a href="http://www.kelvingrovecafe.com/">Kelingrove Café</a> has created the Commonwealth Cocktail, which has a total of 71 ingredients.</p>
<p>That's the greatest number of ingredients ever used in one cocktail, <a href="http://peoplemakeglasgow.com/commonwealth-cocktail">according to People Make Glasgow</a>. </p>
<p>The drink contains ingredients sourced from every nation competing in the Commonwealth games, making it truly representative of the event. Ingredients include papaya from Rwanda, dragonfruit from Belize, mangosteen from India, and red apple from England. </p>
<p>Spence gave out 71 free Commonwealth Cocktails at the Kelvingrove Café beginning on July 23, and all 71 were gone by the end of that day, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/KelvingroveCafe">according to Kelvingrove Cafe's Facebook page</a>. However, People Make Glasgow does provide <a href="http://peoplemakeglasgow.com/media/230580/a5_cocktail_cards_05-2.jpg">a very modified recipe</a> for an at-home Commonwealth Cocktail, so you can get a little taste of the drink.</p>
<p>Here is the <a href="http://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2014/07/record-breaking-cocktail-boasts-71-ingredients/">full list of ingredients</a> used in the Commonwealth Cocktail: </p>
<p><strong>Africa</strong></p>
<p>Botswana: devils claw (genus clerodendrum)</p>
<p>Cameroon: bitter leaf (piper umbellatum)</p>
<p>Ghana: taro (psidium guajava)</p>
<p>Kenya: chives</p>
<p>Lesotho: rosehip</p>
<p>Malawi: cacao (pycreuscyperaceae)</p>
<p>Mauritius: wild raspberry (rubus rosifolius)</p>
<p>Mozambique: cassava</p>
<p>Namibia: prickly pear</p>
<p>Nigeria: utazi leaves</p>
<p>Rwanda: papaya</p>
<p>Seychelles: citronella</p>
<p>Sierra Leone: cashew nut (piassava)</p>
<p>South Africa: roobus</p>
<p>Swaziland: sycamore fig</p>
<p>Tanzania: cloves</p>
<p>Uganda: nakati eggplant</p>
<p>Zambia: sorrel</p>
<p><strong>Americas</strong></p>
<p>Belize: dragonfruit</p>
<p>Bermuda: arabica coffee beans</p>
<p>Canada: logan berry</p>
<p>Falkland Islands: bitter cress</p>
<p>Guyana: sugar cane</p>
<p>St. Helena: St. Helena tea plant</p>
<p><strong>Asia</strong></p>
<p>Bangladesh: jujubi</p>
<p>Brunei Darussalam: durian fruit</p>
<p>India: mangosteen</p>
<p>Malaysia: galangal</p>
<p>Maldives: pomegranate (annaaru)</p>
<p>Pakistan: saffron</p>
<p>Singapore: rambutan</p>
<p>Sri Lanka: ripe jakfruit</p>
<p><strong>Caribbean</strong></p>
<p>Anguilla: mango</p>
<p>Antigua &amp; Barbuda: tamarind</p>
<p>Bahamas: egg fruit</p>
<p>Barbados: sour cherry</p>
<p>British Virgin Islands: noni</p>
<p>Cayman Islands: sage (salvia caymanensis)</p>
<p>Dominica: guava leaf</p>
<p>Grenada: lemon grass</p>
<p>Jamaica: okra</p>
<p>Montserrat: devil's horse whip</p>
<p>St. Kitts &amp; Nevis: tamon</p>
<p>St. Lucia: sweet basil</p>
<p>St. Vincent &amp; The Grenadines: arrowroot</p>
<p>Trinidad &amp; Tobago: tonka bean</p>
<p>Turks &amp; Caicos Islands: sapodilla</p>
<p><strong>Europe</strong></p>
<p>Cyprus: basil-thyme (Α´κινος)</p>
<p>England: red apple</p>
<p>Gibraltar: maqui berry</p>
<p>Guernsey: blueberries</p>
<p>Isle of Man: new potatoes</p>
<p>Jersey: lavender</p>
<p>Malta: star anise</p>
<p>Northern Ireland: bog rosemary</p>
<p>Scotland: wild Scottish strawberry</p>
<p>Wales: wild cotoneaster</p>
<p><strong>Oceania</strong></p>
<p>Australia: aniseed myrtle (syzygium anisatum) (gundabluie) (bardi bush)</p>
<p>Cook Islands: custard apple seeds (annona reticulata)</p>
<p>Kiribati: dried coconut meat (copra)</p>
<p>Nauru: pumpkin seeds</p>
<p>New Zealand: manuka honey</p>
<p>Niue: paw paw</p>
<p>Norfolk Island: yam</p>
<p>Papua New Guinea: taro (colocasia esculenta)</p>
<p>Samoa: ladies finger (small, sweet banana)</p>
<p>Solomon Islands: taro leaves</p>
<p>Tonga: avocado (avoka)</p>
<p>Tuvalu: breadfruit</p>
<p>Vanuatu: plantain</p>
<p>Fiji: kava root</p>

A Scottish Bartender Created A Cocktail With 71 Ingredients From All Over The World

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5be3cb4a0d7c676281725474-2400/gettyimages-1038997936-small.jpg" border="0" alt="Australian PM Scott Morrison" data-mce-source="Mark Kolbe/Getty Images" data-mce-caption="Prime Minister Scott Morrison gives the order for work to commence on the construction of the Western Sydney airport on September 24, 2018 in Sydney, Australia." /><p class="source"><span>Mark Kolbe/Getty Images</span></p><p class="caption">Prime Minister Scott Morrison gives the order for work to commence on the construction of the Western Sydney airport on September 24, 2018 in Sydney, Australia.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul class="summary-list"><li><strong>Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has moved to counter China's growing influence in the Pacific by announcing that it is time Australia make a "step-up to the Pacific."</strong></li><li><strong>The PM is promising nearby Pacific nations closer economic, military and diplomatic ties, following a decade of Chinese expansion.</strong></li><li><strong>The comments, which were made without naming China, are reminiscent of former US President Barack Obama's unfulfilled pledge of an "Asia Pivot," made during a visit to Canberra - also a thinly disguised and largely abandoned strategy to check the advance of China.</strong></li><li><strong>Morrison aims to make the Pacific the center of Australian foreign policy. The centerpiece of that will be a $A2 billion facility to fund major regional projects.</strong></li><li><strong>He said Australia needs a "southwest Pacific that is secure strategically, stable economically, and sovereign politically."</strong></li></ul><p>In Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison's first landmark Pacific policy address, the newly installed PM said Australia will commit anew to the Pacific, setting up a multibillion-dollar infrastructure bank to fund projects in the region and appointing a series of new diplomatic posts.<br /><br /><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; color: black;">"Australia will step up in the Pacific and take our engagement with the region to a new level," the prime minister said Thursday.</span><br /><br />"While we have natural advantages in terms of history, proximity and shared values, Australia cannot take its influence in the southwest Pacific for granted, and too often we have," Morrison said.<br /><br />Morrison announced new <keyword id="6354810" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="defense">defense</keyword> force mobile-training team, annual meetings of defense, police, and border security chiefs, and new diplomatic posts in a number of Pacific countries.<br /><br />The centerpiece will be a $2 billion AUD financial facility to help fund major regional projects while the existing export financing agency (EFA) will be boosted by another one billion dollars.</p><div>Referring to Australia's 2017 Foreign Policy White Paper, Morrison said the stability and economic progress of the Pacific region are of "fundamental importance," and no single country can tackle the challenges on its own.</div><div><br />Morrison announced his Pacific Pivot ahead of a milestone meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping and other Asia-Pacific regional leaders next week at the <a href="https://www.apec2018png.org/">APEC forum in Papua New Guinea</a>.<br /><br />Morrison said it was time Australia opened a "new chapter in relations with our Pacific family."<br /><br />"Australia has an abiding interest in a Southwest Pacific that is secure strategically, stable economically, and sovereign politically."</div><div></div><div><em><strong>Read more:</strong> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/former-treasury-secretary-hank-paulson-warns-us-china-trade-war-2018-11">Former US Treasury secretary Hank Paulson warns of an 'economic iron curtain' if the US and China can't find a way to get along</a></em></div><div></div><div><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5be3d1c6b73c28644960078c-2400/gettyimages-133071554small.jpg" border="0" alt="Barack Obama Australia 2011" data-mce-source="Rick Rycroft-Pool/Getty Images" data-mce-caption="U.S. President Barack Obama (C) meets senators and lawmakers following his address in the Australian Parliament on the second day of his 2-day visit to Australia, on November 17, 2011 in Canberra, Australia.`" /><p class="source"><span>Rick Rycroft-Pool/Getty Images</span></p><p class="caption">U.S. President Barack Obama (C) meets senators and lawmakers following his address in the Australian Parliament on the second day of his 2-day visit to Australia, on November 17, 2011 in Canberra, Australia.`</p></div><p></p></div></div></div><h2>A familiar tone</h2><div>In a speech that strongly echoed former <a href="https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2011/11/17/remarks-president-obama-australian-parliament">US President Barack Obama's "Asian Pivot"</a> address in Canberra in 2011, Morrison outlined his own plan to project Australian soft power in an attempt to thwart China's unchecked economic and industrial expansion across the Pacific over the last decade.<br /><br />In a pretty unforgettable speech to Australia's parliament on November 17, 2011, Obama declared that "America is back!"<br /><br />"Let there be no doubt: in the Asia-Pacific in the 21st century, the United States of America is all-in."<br /><br />That was about the zenith of the much-vaunted pivot, and at around exactly the same time China started to take its interests in the Pacific to a fresh intensity.<br /><br />According to Reuters' calculations, since Obama's"Asia Pivot," China has poured $1.3 billion in concessionary loans and gifts to almost instantly become the Pacific's second-largest donor after Australia.</div><div></div><div><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5be3d5d5da27f870c426a8f5-1620/2018-08-19t120213z172824989rc1d979abc60rtrmadp3china-politics-defence.jpg" border="0" alt="Xi Jinping" data-mce-source="Damir Sagolj/Reuters" data-mce-caption="Chinese President Xi Jinping inspects troops at the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Hong Kong Garrison in one of events marking the 20th anniversary of the city's handover from British to Chinese rule, in Hong Kong" data-link="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?id=tag%3Areuters.com%2C2018%3Anewsml_RC1D979ABC60%3A172824989&amp;search=all%3Axi%20jinping" /><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?id=tag%3Areuters.com%2C2018%3Anewsml_RC1D979ABC60%3A172824989&amp;search=all%3Axi%20jinping">Damir Sagolj/Reuters</a></span></p><p class="caption">Chinese President Xi Jinping inspects troops at the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Hong Kong Garrison in one of events marking the 20th anniversary of the city's handover from British to Chinese rule, in Hong Kong</p></div><p></p></div></div></div><h2>Falling under Beijing's influence</h2><div>Today, China is the region's biggest bilateral lender, although Australia's significant aid programs mean it remains the largest financial backer in the South Pacific.<br /><br />While China has always maintained a political stake in the region as part of its ongoing diplomatic chess battle with Taiwan, the sheer magnitude and speed of Chinese assistance eventually raised alarms and even hysteria among Western-aligned nations that the string of southern Pacific island states was very quickly falling under Beijing's influence.<br /><br /><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5be3d640beb67063c744d093-2092/ap18127849223747.jpg" border="0" alt="Scott Morrison" data-mce-source="AP Photo/Rod McGuirk" data-mce-caption="Scott Morrison." /><p class="source"><span>AP Photo/Rod McGuirk</span></p><p class="caption">Scott Morrison.</p></div><p></p></div></div>But if Australia's backyard was finding itself over a Beijing barrel, then Morrison put his hand up for the first time to acknowledge that Australia and its major allies, the US foremost amongst them, wore some of the blame for that and had neglected the region for too long.<br /><br />Australia, he said, had taken the Pacific and its nations "for granted."<br /><br />Speaking from a military facility in Townsville where US troops are based, Morrison redrew the Pacific's strategic importance to Australia's foreign and defense policy.<br /><br />Morrison promised closer economic, military and diplomatic ties in what will undoubtedly be seen from Beijing as a move to counter its efforts to drive its controversial One Belt, One Road initiative or in this case its 21st-century maritime silk road.</div><div></div><div><em><strong>Read more:</strong> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/xi-jinping-surprising-speech-hong-kong-zhuhai-macau-bridge-opening-2018-10">Xi Jinping caught everyone off guard while celebrating China's $20 billion, 35-mile sea bridge</a></em><br /><br />Fortunately, Beijing won't even have to pick up the phone with Morrison's Foreign Minister Marise Payne already in Beijing heading up Australia's first mission to China in several years after an extended diplomatic freeze out.<br /><br />"This is not just our region, or our neighborhood. It's our home," Morrison said.<br /><br />Morrison flagged that the region requires around $4 billion per year in investments up to 2030, adding, "It's where Australia can make the biggest difference in world affairs."<br /><br />But that is something China has been more than happy to help achieve.<br /><br />Beijing has sewn up diplomatic relations with eight Pacific island countries, from the Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), Fiji, Niue, Papua New Guinea (PNG), Samoa, Tonga, and Vanuatu. (Others of course, recognize Taiwan.) <br /><br />In the ten years between 2006 and 2016, The Lowy Institute a Sydney-based think tank, reckons Beijing has probably injected more than $2.3 billion into the region </div><div></div><div><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5be3d7790d7c6762c3503db7-2400/gettyimages-144657022.jpg" border="0" alt="Vanuatu cricket" data-mce-source="Hamish Blair/Getty Images" /><p class="source"><span>Hamish Blair/Getty Images</span></p><p class="caption">A general view of play during the 5th v 6th match between Fiji and Cook Islands played at Club Hippique during the ICC East Asia Pacific Women's Championship on May 17, 2012 in Port Vila, Vanuatu.</p></div><p></p></div></div><br /><br />China has been more than happy to accommodate small nations such as Vanuatu, Tonga and the Solomon Islands with concessional loans, criticized by many as overt "debt-trap diplomacy." <br /><br />Colombo's failure to get on top of $6 billion in debt repayments to Beijing's state-owned enterprises has already given Beijing what many analysts consider a critically handy strategic toehold in Sri Lanka, in the port of Hambantota, including a 99-year-lease. <br /><br />The port has idyllic views of the major Indian Ocean sea lanes.<br /><br />Elsewhere China is copping its first significant OBOR pushback out of the Asia-Pacific. Malaysia is trying to find itself some wriggle room, preferably around perceived inequalities in the huge $23 billion of China-originated infrastructure deals Kuala Lumpur has signed off on.<br /><br />Part of Australia's appeal to the Pacific will be in aid and funding transfers that have traditionally not been about incurring trade deficits or weighty balance of payments crisis.<br /><br />However, academics including James Laurenceson, deputy director of the Australia China Research Institute say that analysis of debt in the Pacific strongly suggests that the "debt-trap diplomacy" argument is without much foundation.<br /><br />What is certain, however, is that over and above China's bilateral aid programs across the pacific and its support for regional organisations, Beijing has been at pains to show it is a partner in good faith. <br /><br />Beijing has backed and hosted major regional meetings, most recently in 2013, in which it announced a suite of aid measures to boost economic resilience and diplomatic engagement, while also providing strong support to regional organisations, most particularly the Pacific Islands Forum.<br /><br />China has provided generous scholarship programs for Pacific islands students and contributes significant human resources and training for pacific island government officials.<br /><br />Johnny Koanapo Rasou, Vanuatu's Member of Parliament for <a href="https://www.gov.vu/en/public-information/196-china-s-diplomacy-in-the-pacific">Tanna Constituency</a>, where China has been delivering badly needed road works and infrastructure, said in a press statement last year that Vanuatu had its eyes wide open as China's assistance becomes more and more evident.<br /><br />"Our people are now learning more about China's capability to positively contribute to our development aspirations."<br /><br />"The manner in which the Chinese Government is delivering their aid to Vanuatu is different from the styles we are used to from New Zealand or Australia. <br /><br />"But we must accept that all our development partners have different state structures. China is a communist state but it has created an enabling environment for its own citizens to flourish and therefore they themselves can go out and invest in other countries." </div><h2>League of debtor nations</h2><div><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5be3dc330591f26e402d95d5-2400/ap560797216092small.jpg" border="0" alt="Vanuatu volcano" data-mce-source="AP Photo/Nick Perry" data-mce-caption="In this June 1, 2015 photo, a walking path leads up a barren moonscape on Yasur volcano on Tanna Island in Vanuatu." /><p class="source"><span>AP Photo/Nick Perry</span></p><p class="caption">In this June 1, 2015 photo, a walking path leads up a barren moonscape on Yasur volcano on Tanna Island in Vanuatu.</p></div><p></p></div></div><br /><br />However, according to Thomson Reuters almost half (49.08%) of Vanuatu's external debt belongs to China.<br /><br />In August, Tongan Prime Minister <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-pacific-debt-tonga-graphic/tonga-pm-fears-asset-seizures-as-pacific-debts-to-china-mount-idUSKBN1L10KM">'Akilisi Pōhiva said</a> he hoped Pacific states could negotiate together to find a way out from under Beijing's loans, before Tonga began to lose control of state assets as was happening in Sri Lanka.<br /><br />Chinese loans make up more than 60% of Tonga's total external debt burden.<br /><br />Another focus for Beijing has been the variety of resources available in loosely governed Papua New Guinea, which lays claim to the biggest Chinese debt, nigh on $590 million.<br /><br />New Guinea, Tonga, and Vanuatu all receive military aid from China. Fiji's military leaders in particular have been welcoming of Chinese economic, military and strategic assistance. China's state media Xinhua has a quiet, but impactful bureau in Suva.<br /><br />While the US and its allies have been distracted with conflicts in the Middle East, China stepped up its military activities in the South Pacific. <br /><br />Chinese companies have sought and often secured access to strategic ports and airfields across many regional archipelagos.<br /><br />According to Anne-Marie Brady, a political scientist from Canterbury University, satellite interests are an important aspect to China's surge into the South Pacific.<br /><br />"In 2018, China launched 18 BeiDou-3 satellites into space. Beidou-3 is China's indigenous GPS, it provides missile positioning and timing and enhanced C4ISR capabilities for the Chinese military, as well as navigation services to more than 60 countries along the Belt and Road, including in Oceania. <br /><br />Professor Brady said China's mobile satellite station receiving station vessels regularly dock in Papeete (Tahiti) and Suva (Fiji), as do other quasi-military boats such as the Peace Ark and China's well-equipped polar research vessels.<br /><br />Brady a leading expert on Chinese investment in then pacific said many Pacific leaders now acknowledged China as "the dominant power in the region." <br /><br />"China's strategic and military interests in the South Pacific build on longstanding links and fill the vacuum left by receding US and French power projection in the region, as well as Australia and New Zealand's neglect of key relationships in the region."</div>         <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/harris-faulkner-fox-news-anchor-black-female-cable-news-2018-11">Fox News' Harris Faulkner is the only black woman in cable news with a daily show: 'It's a tremendous amount of responsibility'</a></h3>        <div>            <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" data-player="jwplayer" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/Lsv98OpA-CEZHWCBG.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><script>function receiveMessage(event){ console.log(event.data.fullscreen); Android.fullscreen(event.data.fullscreen); }window.addEventListener("message", receiveMessage, false);</script>        </div>    </div>

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