Overview

• The US Coast Guard and Kiribati police boarded two Chinese fishing boats in the Pacific Islands nation's exclusive economic zone, finding no issues.
• The operation is part of efforts to combat illegal fishing and increase surveillance amid growing US-China rivalry in the region.
• Kiribati, strategically located near Hawaii, is a focal point in the geopolitical competition between the US and China.
• The US plans to build an embassy in Kiribati, aiming to strengthen ties and counter China's influence.
• Chinese police have been working in Kiribati on community policing and a crime database program since the country switched diplomatic ties from Taiwan to Beijing in 2019.