[Central News Agency] The U.S. government held a summit with Pacific island leaders at the White House today, pledging to provide more aid and strengthen diplomatic ties to counter China’s influence in the Pacific, where U.S. Secretary of State Blinken alluded to China’s growing assertiveness in the region.

Agence France-Presse reported that the leaders of the 12 Pacific island nations attended the two-day summit in Washington, with representatives from the other two attending, while Australia and New Zealand attended as observers, the first such summit held in Washington.

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Antony Blinken welcomed the Pacific island leaders over a lunch, promising "you can count on the United States to work with you."

He mentioned that the United States will work with Pacific island nations to "maintain a free and open Indo-Pacific - a region where every country, big or small, has the right to choose its own path."

Agence France-Presse pointed out that Blinken's remarks are alluding to China's growing assertiveness in the region and across Asia.

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