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Kiribati

The latest news, analysis and opinion on Kiribati. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.

Capital

Tarawa

Head of State

President Taneti Maamau

Head of Government

President Taneti Maamau

Not only has gung-ho – derived from the Chinese gong he – entered the English dictionary, but it also features in the names of several awards associated with the US Marine Corps. Photo: The Boston Globe via Getty Images

2026 Xi-Trump summits

How China’s wartime cooperatives gave us ‘gung-ho’

Trump’s mention of a ‘Chinese phrase’ may have puzzled some, but the US Marine Corps adopted gung-ho from the name of wartime cooperatives.

25 Sep 2026 - 6:42PM

Pacific nations

Why China is weighing into the debate on how to respond to shrinking coastlines

21 Sep 2026 - 4:09PMvideocam

Science

Could China sanction US for illegal international seabed mining? A study says yes

8 Sep 2026 - 9:00PMvideocam

US-China relations

US port pledge ups China rivalry in Pacific but island nations stick to own course

Washington commits millions of dollars at last week’s regional leaders’ forum in Palau, but experts say it will not be that simple.

8 Sep 2026 - 7:00PMvideocam

Member nations’ flags fly outside the Pacific Islands Forum leaders’ meeting in Koror, Palau, on September 3. Photo: Kyodo

Hong Kong courts

Hong Kong’s IOMed ‘ready to tackle state disputes, serve as Asian legal hub’

IOMed head Teresa Cheng says six countries have nominated 26 mediators to handle such disputes, as Hong Kong seeks Asia legal capital role.

11 Aug 2026 - 12:27PM

Environment

Opinion | The race for critical minerals is clearing the path for deep-sea mining

Corporate pressure and US-China competition are stalling global efforts to set environmental safeguards for seabed mining.

11 Aug 2026 - 5:30AM

Pacific nations

China’s missile test exposes lack of unity among Pacific island nations

While some Pacific Islands Forum members have criticised the test near Tuvalu, Papua New Guinea appears to have backtracked, analysts say.

22 Jul 2026 - 10:00AM

A ballistic missile test launched from a Chinese nuclear-powered submarine in the South Pacific on July 6. Photo: Xinhua/AP

Pacific nations

Pacific Islanders skip food, medicine amid global fuel shortage from Iran war

Pacific nations are the most reliant on diesel for power generation worldwide. They imported about 2.2 million tonnes of fuel in 2025.

22 Apr 2026 - 9:37AM

United States

World welcomes 2026 with fireworks, lightshows and hopes for peace

From Paris to Dubai to Sydney, crowds ring in the new year with exuberant celebrations.

2 Jan 2026 - 8:20AMvideocam

China-New Zealand relations

‘No conflict of interest’ between China and New Zealand, Xi tells Luxon

New Zealand leader’s China trip focuses on trade and tourism, but differences over Pacific island ties cast a shadow.

20 Jun 2025 - 6:57PM

Chinese President Xi Jinping and New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon ahead of their meeting in Beijing on Friday. Photo: Xinhua via AP

Pacific nations

Most Pacific island women don’t work. The World Bank wants to change that

Outdated laws and social norms keep 57 per cent of working-age women across the Pacific out of the labour force, the bank says.

17 Jun 2025 - 12:03PM

A stallholder displays her wares to tourists at a market on Rarotonga in the Pacific nation of the Cook Islands earlier this month. Photo: AFP

Pacific nations

Another tiny Pacific nation courts China for deep-sea mining riches

With a seabed rich in cobalt, nickel and copper, Kiribati is seeking new partners after a previous deal with a Canadian company fell through.

18 Mar 2025 - 2:41PM

Pacific nations

‘Not welcome’: China ally Kiribati criticises Chinese ICBM test

China conducted a rare launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile with a dummy warhead that landed in the Pacific Ocean late last month.

8 Oct 2024 - 11:13AM

US-China relations

As No 2 US envoy ends Pacific tour, Beijing scores a diplomatic win on Taiwan

After Beijing envoy demands ‘correction’, Pacific Islands Forum scraps Taiwan reference from its annual summit’s final communique.

1 Sep 2024 - 12:39AMvideocam

US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell (left) attends a ceremony in Port Vila, Vanuatu, on Thursday to repatriate sacred human relics seized in New York by the FBI in 2016. Campbell also attended the opening of America’s new embassy in the Pacific nation. Photo: Reuters

Japan

Japan talks with Pacific islands focus on climate, security issues take back seat

Among the areas of concern highlighted by Pacific island nations was Japan’s release of treated radioactive water.

20 Jul 2024 - 1:45PMvideocam

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (bottom row, second from left) and other participants of the 10th Pacific Islands Leaders Meeting in Tokyo pose for a photo on Thursday. Photo: Kyodo

US-China relations

US must avoid ‘devastating’ budget cuts to vie with China in Indo-Pacific: envoy

But Republican lawmakers question whether funds are being spent effectively to counter Beijing’s ‘malign influence’.

28 Jun 2024 - 6:36AMvideocam

Pacific nations

‘Calling for change’: will Solomon Islands lean closer to China after its polls?

Geopolitics looms large over the polls in Solomon Islands, where Beijing and Washington have been vying for influence for years. But for voters just struggling to make ends meet, Wednesday’s election may be decided by issues much closer to home.

17 Apr 2024 - 10:49AMvideocam

Pacific nations

US rejects Chinese envoy’s claim it illegally boarded fishing boats in Pacific

China’s ambassador to New Zealand had called the use of ‘shiprider’ pacts between the US and Vanuatu, Kiribati and Papua New Guinea to ‘carry out law enforcement activities against China’s fishing vessels’ a violation of international law.

10 Apr 2024 - 2:59PM

Pacific nations

Warily eyeing China’s influence, US talks up US$7.1 billion in Pacific aid

Leaders in the Marshall Islands, Micronesia and Palau had warned that delays could have forced their governments to cut services, and swayed public opinion towards offers of investment from China.

20 Mar 2024 - 3:53PMvideocam

US-China relations

US knew Nauru might cut ties to Taiwan before it did, official says

Daniel Kritenbrink, an assistant secretary of state, tells Senate hearing ‘we had known for some time [of Nauru’s concerns] … in this instance, they decided to flip’.

15 Mar 2024 - 7:59AM

Australia

‘No role’ for China in policing Pacific islands, Australian minister says

The comments from Australia’s Pacific Minister Pat Conroy come after a news report said that Chinese police will begin working on the island nation of Kiribati.

29 Feb 2024 - 4:22PMvideocam

Christmas Island, Kiribati. Photo: Shutterstock

Diplomacy

China ahead of US in global diplomatic presence – but does it mean influence?

Beijing has 274 diplomatic missions around the world, compared with 271 for Washington, a new study has found.

27 Feb 2024 - 10:00AMvideocam

A ceremony to mark the opening of the new US embassy in Nuku’alofa, Tonga. Photo: US Department of State

Pacific nations

Tuvalu’s Taiwan ties in the balance as Pacific nation gets new PM

The issue of diplomatic recognition is up for debate in the island nation, one of only three remaining Pacific allies of Taiwan. The new prime minister’s position on the subject has not been made public.

26 Feb 2024 - 3:31PMvideocam

Belt and Road Initiative

How China merges funding and diplomacy in push to lead the Global South

Beijing will be the backdrop this year for gatherings of Latin American and African leaders, part of a long-standing relationship with developing countries.

25 Feb 2024 - 8:09PMvideocam

Pacific nations

Chinese police work in Kiribati as Beijing widens Pacific ties to counter US

Kiribati’s acting police commissioner said Chinese officers were assisting their local counterparts on community policing and a crime database programme.

23 Feb 2024 - 2:25PMvideocam

Kiribati controls one of the biggest exclusive economic zones in the world. Photo: Getty Images

Pacific nations

US’ funding deadlock may pave the way for more Chinese influence in the Pacific

The lack of urgency is causing alarm inside the United States among those hyper-aware of the speed at which China may step in while Congress dawdles over a small sum of money by aid standards.

21 Feb 2024 - 7:38PM

Secretary of State Antony Blinken, (centre right) meets with, from left, Marshall Islands Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Jack Ading, Palau’s President Surangel Whipps, Jr., Blinken, and Micronesia’s President Wesley Simina on September 26, 2023, in Washington. Photo: AP

History

Blurry sonar image sparks excitement, doubt over Earhart’s mystery disappearance

A blurry sonar image has sparked frenzied speculation that a deep-sea exploration company has located the plane flown by Amelia Earhart that disappeared in 1937.

4 Feb 2024 - 4:00PM

Taiwan election 2024

‘What’s next’ as China’s Pacific island diplomatic wins mount?

After Nauru’s diplomatic switch from Taipei, experts are watching for shifts in regional security, balance of power.

4 Feb 2024 - 4:01PMvideocam

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Kiribati

How China’s wartime cooperatives gave us ‘gung-ho’

Trump’s mention of a ‘Chinese phrase’ may have puzzled some, but the US Marine Corps adopted gung-ho from the name of wartime cooperatives.

Why China is weighing into the debate on how to respond to shrinking coastlines

Could China sanction US for illegal international seabed mining? A study says yes

US port pledge ups China rivalry in Pacific but island nations stick to own course

Washington commits millions of dollars at last week’s regional leaders’ forum in Palau, but experts say it will not be that simple.

Hong Kong’s IOMed ‘ready to tackle state disputes, serve as Asian legal hub’

IOMed head Teresa Cheng says six countries have nominated 26 mediators to handle such disputes, as Hong Kong seeks Asia legal capital role.

.css-1pcrwvc{color:#2aa191;}Opinion | The race for critical minerals is clearing the path for deep-sea mining

Corporate pressure and US-China competition are stalling global efforts to set environmental safeguards for seabed mining.

China’s missile test exposes lack of unity among Pacific island nations

While some Pacific Islands Forum members have criticised the test near Tuvalu, Papua New Guinea appears to have backtracked, analysts say.

Pacific Islanders skip food, medicine amid global fuel shortage from Iran war

Pacific nations are the most reliant on diesel for power generation worldwide. They imported about 2.2 million tonnes of fuel in 2025.

World welcomes 2026 with fireworks, lightshows and hopes for peace

From Paris to Dubai to Sydney, crowds ring in the new year with exuberant celebrations.

‘No conflict of interest’ between China and New Zealand, Xi tells Luxon

New Zealand leader’s China trip focuses on trade and tourism, but differences over Pacific island ties cast a shadow.

Most Pacific island women don’t work. The World Bank wants to change that

Outdated laws and social norms keep 57 per cent of working-age women across the Pacific out of the labour force, the bank says.

Another tiny Pacific nation courts China for deep-sea mining riches

With a seabed rich in cobalt, nickel and copper, Kiribati is seeking new partners after a previous deal with a Canadian company fell through.

‘Not welcome’: China ally Kiribati criticises Chinese ICBM test

China conducted a rare launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile with a dummy warhead that landed in the Pacific Ocean late last month.

As No 2 US envoy ends Pacific tour, Beijing scores a diplomatic win on Taiwan

After Beijing envoy demands ‘correction’, Pacific Islands Forum scraps Taiwan reference from its annual summit’s final communique.

Japan talks with Pacific islands focus on climate, security issues take back seat

Among the areas of concern highlighted by Pacific island nations was Japan’s release of treated radioactive water.

US must avoid ‘devastating’ budget cuts to vie with China in Indo-Pacific: envoy

But Republican lawmakers question whether funds are being spent effectively to counter Beijing’s ‘malign influence’.

‘Calling for change’: will Solomon Islands lean closer to China after its polls?

Geopolitics looms large over the polls in Solomon Islands, where Beijing and Washington have been vying for influence for years. But for voters just struggling to make ends meet, Wednesday’s election may be decided by issues much closer to home.

US rejects Chinese envoy’s claim it illegally boarded fishing boats in Pacific

China’s ambassador to New Zealand had called the use of ‘shiprider’ pacts between the US and Vanuatu, Kiribati and Papua New Guinea to ‘carry out law enforcement activities against China’s fishing vessels’ a violation of international law.

Warily eyeing China’s influence, US talks up US$7.1 billion in Pacific aid

Leaders in the Marshall Islands, Micronesia and Palau had warned that delays could have forced their governments to cut services, and swayed public opinion towards offers of investment from China.

US knew Nauru might cut ties to Taiwan before it did, official says

Daniel Kritenbrink, an assistant secretary of state, tells Senate hearing ‘we had known for some time [of Nauru’s concerns] … in this instance, they decided to flip’.

‘No role’ for China in policing Pacific islands, Australian minister says

The comments from Australia’s Pacific Minister Pat Conroy come after a news report said that Chinese police will begin working on the island nation of Kiribati.

China ahead of US in global diplomatic presence – but does it mean influence?

Beijing has 274 diplomatic missions around the world, compared with 271 for Washington, a new study has found.

Tuvalu’s Taiwan ties in the balance as Pacific nation gets new PM

The issue of diplomatic recognition is up for debate in the island nation, one of only three remaining Pacific allies of Taiwan. The new prime minister’s position on the subject has not been made public.

How China merges funding and diplomacy in push to lead the Global South

Beijing will be the backdrop this year for gatherings of Latin American and African leaders, part of a long-standing relationship with developing countries.

Chinese police work in Kiribati as Beijing widens Pacific ties to counter US

Kiribati’s acting police commissioner said Chinese officers were assisting their local counterparts on community policing and a crime database programme.

US’ funding deadlock may pave the way for more Chinese influence in the Pacific

The lack of urgency is causing alarm inside the United States among those hyper-aware of the speed at which China may step in while Congress dawdles over a small sum of money by aid standards.

Blurry sonar image sparks excitement, doubt over Earhart’s mystery disappearance

A blurry sonar image has sparked frenzied speculation that a deep-sea exploration company has located the plane flown by Amelia Earhart that disappeared in 1937.

‘What’s next’ as China’s Pacific island diplomatic wins mount?

After Nauru’s diplomatic switch from Taipei, experts are watching for shifts in regional security, balance of power.

Opinion | The race for critical minerals is clearing the path for deep-sea mining