An aerial photo shows a small section of the atoll that has slipped beneath the water line only showing a small pile of rocks at low tide. The Marshall Islands have been an American ally. It is a key strategic outpost for the U.S. military because of its location in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. In this file photo, Rob Griffith.
The Marshall Islands have been an American ally for decades. It is a key strategic outpost for the U.S. military because of its location in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
There is a dispute with Washington over the terms of theCompact of Free Association, which expires soon. The Marshallese are trying to get the U.S. to pay for the environmental and health damage caused by dozens of nuclear tests it carried out in the 1940s and '50s.
Some U.S. lawmakers are worried that China might be willing to step into the breech and add to the rivalry between the two powers.
The U.S. has treated the Marshall Islands like territories since World War II. The U.S. has developed military, intelligence and aerospace facilities in a region where China is active.
The Marshall Islands' economy has benefited from U.S. money and jobs. Many Marshallese have taken advantage of their ability to live and work in the U.S., moving in the thousands to Arkansas, Hawaii and Oklahoma.
The House of Representatives wrote to Jake Sullivan, the national security adviser to the president, about the U.S. compact talks with the Marshalls, Micronesia and Palau.
They wrote that it was distressing that the negotiations did not appear to be a priority.
China is ready to step in and provide the desperately needed infrastructure and climate resilience investment that is sought by these long-time partners.
China's Foreign Ministry said that the U.S. should be held responsible for the environmental damage caused by its nuclear tests. China is willing to engage with the Marshall Islands and other Pacific island nations on the basis of mutual respect and cooperation under the "One China Principle", in which Taiwan is viewed as part of China.
The ministry said that they welcomed efforts to improve the quality of life between the sides.
Kiribati and the Solomon Islands are allies of Taiwan in the Pacific. Angry protesters in the Solomons set fire to buildings and stole stores in unrest that some have linked to the China switch.
James Matayoshi, the mayor of Rongelap atoll on the Marshall Islands, said that he and hundreds of others have been displaced since the nuclear tests and want to see the atoll rejuvenated. The previous proposal by a Chinese-Marshallese businessman fell through, so officials have been talking with potential investors from Asia.
It would be a business transaction. Matayoshi said that they don't advocate for war or any influence that is powerful. We want to be able to live in our backyard.
Matayoshi believes the $150 million settlement the U.S. agreed to in the 1980s fell short of addressing the nuclear legacy. He said that his mother was pregnant at the time of the nuclear blast and was exposed to the equivalent of 25,000 X-rays before her baby was born.
The last time the compact came up for negotiation, the U.S. position remained static for more than 20 years. Nuclear compensation can't be reopened because it was dealt with in a full and final settlement.
David Paul is a Marshallese senator and also represents the island of Kwajalein, which is home to a major U.S. military base.
Paul said that the negotiations at that time were not fair. The total cost of property damage and health issues is a small part of the total cost. It is an insult.
Various estimates put the cost of the damage at about $3 billion, including for repairs to a massive nuclear waste facility known as the Cactus Dome which environmentalists say is leaking toxic waste into the ocean.
A report to Congress last year from the U.S. Department of Energy said that the dome was not in immediate danger of failing because of the radioactive soil and debris. The report concluded that there was no impact on the environment from the contaminated water flowing beneath the structure.
American officials acknowledge that the U.S. has stonewalled discussions on the nuclear legacy.
A senior U.S. official who wasn't authorized to publicly discuss the issue and spoke on condition of anonymity said that both sides agreed to a full and final settlement. That issue is not subject to being reopened. We are willing to work with the Marshallese on the broader issues that are important to us.
The U.S. State Department said that the foreign policy of the U.S. is dependent on the Indo-Pacific.
The department said that they are trying to achieve success in the negotiations with the Freely Associated States.
The Foreign Minister of the Marshallese sent a letter to the chair of the House Natural Resources Committee expressing his country's frustration.
The State and Interior Department officials have been unwilling to discuss an agenda for the talks and have tried to confine the discussion to their own limited proposals. The nuclear issue was one of the reasons. The Marshall Islands did not have the authority to discuss the issues they had raised.
The American approach needs to change according to Sen. Paul.
Paul said that the U.S. has a legal and moral obligation to clean up the debris. We want to make sure we get a better deal. The third time is a charm.
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