President Joe Biden is set to announce the U.S. will open new embassies in the South Pacific islands of Cook Islands and Niue. The announcement about new embassies will be formally rolled out on Monday as Biden welcomes leaders to Washington for the two-day U.S.-Pacific Island Forum Summit. Talks are expected to heavily focus on climate change. Biden has put a premium on improving relations in the Pacific amid rising U.S. concern about China’s growing military and economic influence in the region. Plans for the new embassies announcements were confirmed by two senior administration officials who requested anonymity to preview the announcement.
