US Deputy Secretary of State to Meet With Pacific Island Leaders Amid Increasing Chinese Military Pressure

Kurt Campbell will visit Vanuatu to dedicate the United States’ newest overseas mission, Embassy Port Vila.

Then-U.S. National Security Council Coordinator for Indo-Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell (R) speaks during a news conference at the South Korean presidential office in Seoul on July 18, 2023. Kim Hong-ji/AFP via Getty Images

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell will travel to the Pacific island of Tonga next week to lead the U.S. delegation to the 53rd Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) leaders meeting and promote U.S.–Pacific partnership goals.

After his Aug. 28 visit to Tonga, Campbell will visit Vanuatu to dedicate the United States’ newest overseas mission, Embassy Port Vila. On Aug. 30, he will visit Auckland, New Zealand, to co-chair the United States–New Zealand Strategic Dialogue and hold talks on technology.