Bill Proposes to Establish Permanent US Special Envoy to Pacific to Counter CCP

Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) speaks during a confirmation hearing for Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson before the Senate Judiciary Committee on, March 21, 2022, on Capitol Hill. AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, Pool

Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) introduced legislation on April 20 that would establish a permanent U.S. special envoy to the Pacific’s leading policy forum to combat the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) growing influence in the region.

The measure (pdf), known as the U.S. and Pacific Islands Forum Partnership Act, proposes to establish a permanent presence with the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), a group of countries that includes Australia, New Zealand, and 18 Pacific Island nations in total.