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US, China vie for influence in the Pacific
Group of small island nations seen to have strategic value, not to mention maritime assets
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In February, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken found time in his globetrotting schedule for a rare visit to Fiji, a remote island nation in the South Pacific whose white sandy beaches and luxury resorts have made it an international tourism hot spot.
But Mr Blinken was not there for a holiday. Instead, he was focused on shoring up America's influence in a region that has become a pivotal geopolitical battleground.
