The United States has opened a new embassy in Tonga, the State Department said. The United States “officially opened the U.S. Embassy in Nuku’alofa on May 9, 2023,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement. “This opening symbolizes the renewal of our relationship and underlines the strength of our commitment to our bilateral relations, to the people of Tonga, and to our partnerships in the Indo-Pacific region,” the statement said. (https://neuters.de/world/us-opens-embassy-tonga-new-pushback-against-china-pacific-2023-05-09/) Miller said the embassy would allow Washington to deploy additional diplomatic personnel and resources, including the potential appointment of a resident ambassador to Tonga, with which the United States has had diplomatic relations since 1972. Washington reopened its embassy in the Solomon Islands this year after a 30-year absence, the top U.S. diplomat for East Asia, Daniel Kritenbrink, said last week, and said Washington was continuing to engage with Vanuatu and Kiribati about opening proposed new embassies in those countries.