The U.S. Under Secretary of State, Liz Allen, will travel to Australia and multiple Pacific nations over the next week.
The trip will include visits to Nadi, Fiji; Port Vila, Vanuatu; Sydney, Australia; and Santiago, Chili.
Ms. Allen aims to strengthen U.S. ties with key Pacific Island partners during her visit to the region.
“The Under Secretary’s visit will demonstrate the United States’ ongoing commitment to key partners in the Pacific and South America; support open and free media environments; counter foreign malign influence; and strengthen and expand people-to-people ties,” a spokesperson for Ms. Allen said.
Under Secretary Allen’s trip will start in Fiji, where she plans to meet with local partners and alumni of U.S. exchange programs.
Ms. Allen is a former communications director to Vice President Kamala Harris and also served in the Obama administration.
She was appointed by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to the position of Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs on April 4, 2022.
Following her visit to Fiji, Ms. Allen plans to visit Port Vila, Vanuatu, to meet with government officials about the U.S. and Vanuatu relationship ahead of the opening of the new U.S. embassy in Port Vila.
In Sydney, Australia, Ms. Allen will provide the opening remarks at the launch of a Digital Communication Network (DCN) hub, meet with foreign affairs officials, and connect with the National Indigenous Culinary Institute.
“She will also meet with senior Australian public diplomacy officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, local subject matter experts, and students to discuss methods for countering foreign malign influence, opportunities and challenges presented by artificial intelligence, and increasing research partnerships and collaboration in AUKUS-related cutting-edge fields,” a spokesperson for Ms. Allen said.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter) this morning, Ms. Allen said she is looking forward to engaging with Pacific friends from Oct. 11-18.
“We’ll discuss our shared efforts across the region to boost press freedom, counter foreign malign influence, and strengthen our exchange alumni networks,” Ms. Allen said.
Significant Experience
Ms. Allen worked for seven years at the Obama-Biden administration prior to taking on her current role. She also has experience working as a partner at strategic advisory company FGS Global.Ms. Allen served as deputy director of communications to Joe Biden when he was vice-president in the Obama administration. She also served as deputy communications director for President Barack Obama.
Strengthening Pacific Ties
U.S. officials have been busy building ties with the Pacific region region this year, with multiple senior officials paying a visit to the region.“We’re strengthening our partnerships on public health, the climate crisis, economic growth, and other key regional priorities that respond to people’s needs and expectations,” Mr. Blinken said at a Pacific Islands Forum Dialogue in Papua New Guinea.
The visits from U.S. officials come after Beijing has been building ties and exerting its influence in the Pacific, including Solomon Islands signing a security pact with Beijing in 2022.
