SYDNEY—The United States, Australia, France, and UK will open new embassies in the Pacific, boost staffing levels, and engage with leaders of Pacific island nations more often in a bid to counter China’s rising influence in the region, people familiar with the situation have told Reuters.
The battle for influence in the sparsely populated Pacific matters because each of the tiny island states has a vote at international forums such as the United Nations. They also control vast swathes of resource-rich ocean.
