US pullout from Pacific organizations opens new doors for China
- Admin
- 47 minutes ago
- 3 min read
By James C. Pearce
The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environmental Program and the Pacific Community, formerly known as the South Pacific Commission, are among the 66 international organizations that the United States has abandoned.
In early January, President Donald Trump signed a memorandum cutting the United States' ties with entities he deemed no longer serve American interests.
Experts warn that the Trump administration is repeating its previous mistake—shunning and disengaging from the Pacific—that allowed China to spread its clout in the region.
SPREP is the regional organization established by Pacific governments and administrations to protect and manage the environment and natural resources of the Pacific.
SPREP is headquartered in Apia, Samoa, with satellite offices in Fiji, the Solomon Islands, the Marshall Islands and Vanuatu.
With an annual budget of $49 million, SPREP has supported dozens of low-lying island states in raising awareness at UN climate conferences about the threat to their survival posed by rising sea levels driven by climate change.
The SPC, formed in 1947, is the principal scientific and technical organization in the Pacific region, operating in 27 countries.
Trump's memorandum directs all executive departments and agencies to cease participating in and funding 35 non-United Nations organizations and 31 UN entities, which “operate contrary to U.S. national interests, security, economic prosperity, or sovereignty.”
“These withdrawals will end American taxpayer funding and involvement in entities that advance globalist agendas over U.S. priorities, or that address important issues inefficiently or ineffectively, such that U.S. taxpayer dollars are best allocated in other ways to support the relevant missions," the White House said.
For Pacific communities, however, it is another lifeline ended. Funding for healthcare services, environmental protection, sustainable developments and jobs will now dry up as a result. Thousands across local communities are now more vulnerable.
According to its annual report, SREP receives financial support from five countries, including the U.K., France, Australia and New Zealand. China has also contributed around $200,000 annually for several years.
The U.S. exit from this program gives Beijing another opening in the Pacific, making America’s European and Asian allies anxious.
Sefanaia Nawadra, SPREP's director-general, said the U.S. contributed funding and technical expertise, but other partners were expected to help it continue its work.
"There is a formal process that the U.S. will need to follow to withdraw its membership from SPREP. They are a valued member of SPREP until that formal withdrawal process is completed," he said in a statement to Reuters.
The Trump administration has taken a harder line on Pacific countries since the end of 2025. Several Pacific Island nations face new hurdles to enter the U.S. Fiji, Vanuatu, Tuvalu and Tonga are listed among countries whose nationals must pay a costly visa bond to enter the U.S. from Jan. 21.
The administration is continuing to review other existing security arrangements, causing further jitters among its allies across Oceania, Asia and Europe.
Deeper cuts are also starting to bite America’s allies. According to ABC News Australia, cuts to U.S. science agencies are causing "turmoil" in regional research projects run by universities across Australia.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration had its budget slashed and cut thousands of jobs. NOAA collects real-time data from satellites, aeroplanes, weather balloons, radar and maritime buoys, which is used by forecasters to help project seasonal conditions ahead of time. It also uses U.S. money for water sanitation, which is set to disappear.
Australia's Bureau of Meteorology often relies on U.S. data for its ACCESS model, which produces daily weather forecasts. Cuts will make it harder to predict natural disasters, prepare for them and make regional communities more vulnerable.
This leaves the region in financial limbo. With future resources needing to stretch further, it is unlikely that other Western backers will fill the gap left by the U.S. Pacific leaders, who might well be feeling Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney's words at Davos more acutely soon. The U.S. is no longer a reliable ally.
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