New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who arrived Monday in Fiji, described Kiribati’s withdrawal as “disappointing.”
He said China’s rise had complicated issues across the Pacific and that Australia and the United States would have to work more closely together in coming years. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who will travel to Fiji on Wednesday, said his government was committed to spend at least 2% of Australia’s gross domestic production on defense.
“Indeed, they regard — just as the United States does — as it being at the center of national security and I look forward to the discussions that I’ll have with the leaders in the Pacific,” Albanese added.reduce Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions by 43%The previous government only committed to reducing emissions by 26% to 28% by the end of the decade.