Blinken Visits Tiny Tonga as US Continues Diplomatic Push to Counter China in the Pacific

Blinken Visits Tiny Tonga as US Continues Diplomatic Push to Counter China in the Pacific
Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, shakes hands with Tonga's Prime Minister Siaosi Sovaleni in Nuku'alofa, Tonga on July 26, 2023. Tupou Vaipulu/Pool Photo via AP
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Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited the tiny kingdom of Tonga on Wednesday, as the United States continues to increase its diplomatic efforts in the Pacific while China’s influence in the region grows.

Home to just over 100,000 people, Tonga last year was the site of a massive volcanic eruption that created a tsunami, killed four people in Tonga and sent millions of tons of water vapor into the atmosphere.