US, Japan and others meet to seek close ties with Pacific islands

Foreign ministers from the United States, Japan and other U.S. allies and partners met on Thursday to strengthen ties with Pacific island nations amid China’s growing influence in the region . The meeting was the first between high-level diplomats from the countries of the Blue Pacific Partners initiative, which was launched in June also with the participation of Britain, Australia and New Zealand. “We are deeply committed to the Pacific,” said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, host of the meeting, at the start of talks in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. He us…