MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th July, 2023) US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will begin his three-stop tour of the South Pacific on Monday with a trip to Tonga, an island nation that has a strategic significance for Washington in its standoff with China.
Blinken will visit the Tongan capital of Nukuʻalofa on July 26 to dedicate the new US embassy and advance key discussions with the Tongans, including on the US vision of a "connected" and "resilient" Pacific region.
He will then travel to New Zealand's capital Wellington on July 27 to discuss shared priorities with government officials and conclude the trip with trip to Brisbane in Australia on July 28-29 where he will attend Australia-US Ministerial Consultations and discuss security cooperation in the Indo-Pacific.
