China is offering Belt and Road Initiative infrastructure and security pacts to extend its strategic influence deep into the Pacific. Although Beijing has suffered diplomatic setbacks, including accusations of bribery and bullying, America should not take its position as a strong Pacific power for granted. 

Join Hudson Institute in person or online on Friday, April 28, at 11:00 a.m. for a conversation with Ambassador Joseph Yun. He is the special presidential envoy for compact negotiations and leads the renegotiation of agreements with the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of Palau—collectively known as the Freely Associated States. Amb. Yun will talk with Hudson Asia-Pacific Security Chair Patrick Cronin about the Pacific states’ concerns and the ongoing negotiations, as well as whether Congress will muster bipartisan support to ensure the renewal of these long-term compacts of free association.