WASHINGTON - It is essential the US Congress approves new agreements with three Pacific island states, the US Indo-Pacific coordinator Kurt Campbell said on Dec 7, stressing that China is waiting to take advantage if the US fails to fulfil its commitments.

Mr Campbell made the comments about new 20-year funding programmes for the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), the Marshall Islands (RMI) and Palau awaiting congressional approval while testifying at a Senate hearing on his nomination to become the Biden administration’s next deputy secretary of state.

Asked about the importance of Congress approving the new funding, Mr Campbell called the islands critical to US security and places where the US has enormous strategic, historic and moral responsibilities.

“I will simply say to the Senate, that literally China is waiting,” he said.

“If we don’t get it (the COFA funding) you can expect that literally the next day Chinese diplomats – military and other folks – will be on the plane... trying to secure a better deal for China. We need to do this.”

After years of painstaking negotiations, the Biden administration signed new funding programmes this year for the three nations under which Washington is responsible for their defence and provides economic assistance, while gaining exclusive military access to strategic swathes of the Pacific.

However, the new Compacts of Free Association (COFA), worth a total of US$7.1 billion (S$9.4 billion) over 20 years, remain in limbo due to budget wrangling in Congress which has seen Republicans demand spending cuts elsewhere to offset any new spending.

Lawmakers proposed including the US$2.3 billion in new funding needed for the COFAs in the National Defence Authorisation Act (NDAA), but it is not in the current Bill text released on Dec 6 night that is awaiting Congressional approval.

The funds though have been included in a supplemental budget request from the Biden administration, covering foreign policy priorities such as Ukraine and the war in the Middle East, but the fate of that remains uncertain due to opposition among Republicans. REUTERS