China, major democracies step up competition in Pacific
Voice of America
FILE - National flags for the Pacific Islands are on display on the tiny Pacific nation of Nauru, Sept. 3, 2018.
China and democratic countries, including Australia and Japan, have increased their efforts to deepen engagement with Pacific Island countries in recent weeks, intensifying what some regional politicians and analysts describe as great power competition, especially in the security sector.
A voter casts her ballot as an electoral official and a Botswana Police officer look on at the Gaborone Block 8 polling station in Gaborone on October 30, 2024, during Botswana's general election. Residents await their turns to cast their votes during an election to decide if it keeps faith with one of Africa's longest-ruling parties, in Gaborone, Botswana, Oct. 30, 2024.
FILE - A young man holds an EU flag as he attends an opposition protest against the results of the parliamentary election in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Oct. 28, 2024.
A Long March rocket with a Shenzhou-19 spacecraft atop takes off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Jiuquan, northwestern China in the early hours of Oct. 30, 2024.
FILE - In this photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, visiting Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un wave from an open top limousine as they travel along a street in Pyongyang, North Korea, on June 20, 2019.
FILE - Armed Al-Shabab fighters patrol in Mogadishu, Somalia, June 29, 2009. A prosecutor told a federal jury in Manhattan that Cholo Abdi Abdullah plotted an attack for four years that he hoped to carry out on behalf of the terrorist organization al-Shabab.
Cars are being swept away by the water, after floods preceded by heavy rains caused the river to overflow its banks in the town of Alora, Malaga, Spain, Oct. 29, 2024.
FILE - A street with entertainment facilities is seen in Bangkok, Thailand, March 18, 2020. A new draft bill now aims to introduce entertainment complexes and casinos throughout the country in hopes it will give its economy and tourism a much-needed boost. FILE - Tourists visit the Grand Palace, one of Thailand's top tourist attractions, in Bangkok, Jan. 7, 2023.
FILE - Somalia's Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre addresses the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Sept. 27, 2024.
FILE - Saudi Arabia's Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman attends the Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) in Saint Petersburg on June 6, 2024.
Police officers keep watch near barricades set up along Julu Road where people in Halloween costumes gathered the year before, in Shanghai, China, on Oct. 26, 2024.
FILE - Taliban security personnel stand guard as people watch a public flogging at a stadium in Charikar, Parwan province, Afghanistan, on Dec. 8, 2022. Four people, including a woman, were similarly flogged recently, Taliban officials said on Oct. 29, 2024.