Leaders and officials of Pacific Islands countries pose at the 55th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in Koror, Palau, September 2, 2026. Solomon Islands Minister for Foreign Affairs Rick Houenipwela, standing fourth from the left, was a last minute substitution for Wale, who had returned to Honiara.

Solomon Islands Prime Minister Matthew Wale speaks during a press conference in Canberra, Australia, June 3, 2026.

An islander walking on a beach near the wreck of the abandoned MS World Discoverer cruise ship, April 20, 2024.

Australian Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen, center, looks towards Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, right, during the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders' plenary meeting in Koror on September 2, 2026.

Leaders and officials of Pacific Islands countries pose at the 55th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in Koror, Palau, September 2, 2026. Solomon Islands Minister for Foreign Affairs Rick Houenipwela, standing fourth from the left, was a last minute substitution for Wale, who had returned to Honiara.

The flags of Pacific Island nations during the 55th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in Koror, Palau, September 1, 2026.

Solomon Islands Prime Minister Matthew Wale speaks in Canberra, Australia, June 3, 2026.

New Zealand's Foreign Minister Winston Peters, right, at the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in Koror, Palau, Aug. 31, 2026.

Tuvalu's Prime Minister Feleti Teo arrives for a meeting during the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in Koror, Sept. 1, 2026.

Taiwan's Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung speaks on the sidelines of the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in Koror, Palau, Sept. 1, 2026.

China's special envoy for Pacific Affairs Qian Bo leaves after attending the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in Koror, Sept. 1, 2026.

Palau President Surangel S. Whipps Jr. and Taiwan's Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung during the inauguration of Taiwan-funded solar energy and electric bus projects in Koror, Aug. 30, 2026, ahead of the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting.

Artists perform at the opening of the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in Koror, Palau, Aug. 31, 2026.

People walk past a beach during sunset in Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands on June 27, 2024.

The abandoned Pacific Barrier Radar III in Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands, June 27, 2024.

This map shows the mineral lease sale areas near CNMI as identified by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, or BOEM. In July, BOEM was reunified with the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement to form the Marine Minerals Administration.

Polymetallic nodules, misshapen black globes encrusted with coveted metals like cobalt, nickel and manganese, onboard the research vessel in Rarotonga, Cook Islands, June 11, 2025.

Solar panels and wind turbines at a renewable energy farm in Lingwu, in China's northern Ningxia region, Dec. 22, 2025

Chinese ambassador to Vanuatu Li Minggang in a meeting in Port Vila with Vanuatu's ombudsman Hamlison Bulu, March 3, 2026.