9 Jun 2023

US international agency plans to expand presence in Pacific

From , 6:00 am on 9 June 2023
Deputy Assistant Director of USAID, Betty Chung in the Pacific

Deputy Assistant Director of USAID, Betty Chung in the Pacific Photo: US Embassy Apia, Samoa

The United States agency for international development, USAID, has more than ten thousand staff and a multi billion dollar annual budget.

The organisation is planning to bring more of staff and funds to help out Pacific Island countries.

USAID has had a very small presence in the region in recent years but as Washington focuses more on China it is also rediscovering its friends in the Pacific.

The deputy assistant director of US-AID, Betty Chung, told RNZ Pacific's senior reporter Don Wiseman more about US' plans for the region.