Why did Biden choose this "China expert"?, Nomination of Ambassador to Pacific Island Countries as "China Ambassador" | US Ambassador to the Marshall Islands

On the 11th, US President Biden announced the nomination of Laura Stone as the US Ambassador to the Marshall Islands. Stone is a senior professional diplomat with a deep understanding of Asian affairs. Against the backdrop of deepening cooperation between China and Pacific island countries, which has attracted the attention of the United States, Biden has nominated this "China expert" as the ambassador to the Marshall Islands, sparking public attention.

Nominate "China expert"

The White House announced several important job nominations on the same day, including the nomination of Stone as the US Ambassador to the Marshall Islands.

Public information shows that Stone holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Cornell University in the United States and a Master of Philosophy degree in International Relations from Oxford University in the United Kingdom.

Stone joined the US State Department in 1991 and has accumulated over 30 years of diplomatic experience to date. During this time, Stone served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, mainly responsible for South Asian affairs, including handling relations between the United States and India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Maldives, and Bhutan.

Stone is also very familiar with East Asian affairs and has served as the Director of the Office of China and Mongolia Affairs at the US State Department. During his career, Stone has also traveled to Beijing, China, Bangkok, Thailand, and Tokyo, Japan multiple times. It is worth mentioning that Stone can speak Chinese.

Stone is also familiar with economic affairs and has served as a special advisor in the Office of the Deputy Secretary of State in the United States, coordinating responses to China's influence. She also participated in formulating economic policies for the United States in East Asia and the Pacific region.

Currently, Stone serves as the deputy coordinator of the U.S. State Department Office of Response to COVID-19 Infection.

What considerations are there

However, the next destination in Stone's plan is not Asia, which she is familiar with, but the Marshall Islands located in the central Pacific Ocean. It is worth noting that Biden's nomination of Stone as the US Ambassador to the Marshall Islands coincides with the United States increasing its diplomatic efforts with Pacific island countries.

With the deepening of cooperation between China and Pacific island countries in recent years, especially since China and the Solomon Islands signed a security cooperation framework agreement last year, the United States has been worried about the so-called "expansion of China's influence in Pacific island countries.

U.S. President's Special Envoy for Pacific Island Countries Negotiations Yin Rushang stated at the end of April that the United States once neglected to enhance diplomatic relations with Pacific island countries, and is now "catching up" with China and needs to "speed up".

For this reason, the United States hosted the first United States Pacific Island Countries Summit last year and opened multiple embassies in Pacific Island countries. Biden had originally planned to personally visit the Pacific island countries in May, but eventually broke the promise temporarily.

But against the backdrop of the United States engaging in "great power competition" with China, the strategic position of Pacific island countries is increasingly prominent. In the strategic layout of the United States, the Marshall Islands hold a special position. In history, the Marshall Islands were occupied by European powers and Japan, and were entrusted to the United States in 1947 until achieving independence in 1986.

According to the Free Association Treaty that came into effect between the two countries in 1986, the Marshall Islands enjoy domestic and diplomatic autonomy, but defense is the responsibility of the United States for 15 years. In May 2003, the two countries renewed the treaty, and the United States promised to continue providing economic assistance to the Marshall Islands for 20 years, while gradually establishing a trust fund for the country.

In addition to the Marshall Islands, two Pacific island countries have signed the Free Association Treaty with the United States, namely Micronesia and Palau. Some comments suggest that through these three treaties, the United States has gained special powers of passage in large strategic areas of the Pacific.

In May of this year, the United States announced that it had renewed the Free Association Treaty with Micronesia and Palau. Currently, the Free Association Treaty between the United States and the Marshall Islands is about to expire, and the United States clearly wants to renew it. Some comments suggest that renewing contracts with these three Pacific island countries has become a key factor for the United States to maintain its own strength in the region and weaken China's influence.

However, according to local media reports, the renewal process between the United States and the Marshall Islands continues to be hindered due to disagreements on how to resolve the legacy of large-scale nuclear testing in the United States.

Between 1946 and 1958, the United States conducted 67 nuclear tests on the flat and open Bikini Atoll and Eniwetok Atoll in the northwest of the Marshall Islands. On March 1, 1954, the United States detonated a hydrogen bomb codenamed "Applause Castle" on the Bikini Atoll. This is the largest nuclear bomb tested by the United States in atmospheric nuclear testing, with a power thousands of times greater than the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan.

However, the 67 nuclear tests have caused great disasters and trauma to the Marshall Islands, and the local residents and ecological environment still suffer from the aftermath of nuclear tests to this day. Last year, over 100 arms control, environmental protection and other organizations urged the US government to formally apologize to the Marshall Islands and provide sufficient compensation.

However, there is still uncertainty about whether the compensation and aid commitments of the United States can ultimately be implemented. According to the memorandum of understanding reached this year, the United States plans to provide a total of $7.1 billion in aid to these three Pacific island countries over 20 years, subject to approval by the US Congress.

The United States Institute of Peace published an article last month that, coupled with the fact that this year is an election year in the Marshall Islands, the United States and the Marshall Islands may not be able to reach an agreement on the renewal of the Treaty of Free Contact this year.