The U.S. is trying to shore up its influence among Pacific island nations against China’s inroads in the region.
First, the U.S. Postal Service needs to get on board.
USPS representatives refused to engage in substantive interagency discussions about renewing the agreements.
“They really did great damage to the process and ultimately to the strategic relationships that we have” with the three nations, said one former official. “It was a huge problem.”
At stake for the U.S., should the negotiations falter, is its image as a reliable ally and a bulwark against China’s ambitions to displace American power, the officials and security specialists said.
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