The United States plans to open an embassy in the South Pacific island nation of Vanuatu, the State Department said. “Consistent with the U.S. Indo-Pacific strategy, a permanent diplomatic presence in Vanuatu would allow the U.S. Government to deepen relationships with Ni-Vanuatu officials and society,” the department said in a statement. “Establishing U.S. Embassy Port Vila would facilitate areas of potential bilateral cooperation and development assistance, including efforts to tackle the climate crisis,” it said. (https://neuters.de/world/us-plans-open-embassy-south-pacific-island-nation-vanuatu-2023-03-31/) The United States has diplomatic relations with Vanuatu, which has a population of 319,000 spread across 80 islands, but is currently represented by diplomats based in New Guinea. The United States States reopened its embassy in the Solomon Islands this year after a 30-year absence and the latest State Department announcement follows a visit this month to the region, including Vanuatu, by U.S. Indo-Pacific coordinator Kurt Campbell. Other U.S. embassies are planned in the Pacific island nations of Kiribati and Tonga.