Page 8 - IB March 2021

Briefs Briefs

American Samoa French Polynesia
There are labour shortages at StarKist’s Pagopago cannery. Analysis of documents declassified eight years ago has
“We support StarKist Samoa during this challenging time. We revealed that French nuclear testing exposed 90% of the
have the workers, and we need them to get back to work,” 125,000 people living in French Polynesia to radioactive
Governor Lemanu Peleti Mauga said in a joint statement with fallout. That’s ten times more people than France had earlier
StarKist Director, Jason Kim. The plant is a vital driver of estimated. Just last month the French National Institute of
economic activity in the territory. Health and Medical Research said evidence from French Poly-
nesia didn’t allow it to conclude that the atmospheric tests
caused illnesses, such as cancers. The new analysis could
Commonwealth of the
Northern Mariana Islands affect compensation efforts by nuclear survivors.
Some 3500 private sector workers have been furloughed, laid
off or had their work hours reduced in January 2021 according
to CNMI government surveys. Just over a third of these were Guam
foreign workers. However this figure is declining, possibly “Guam is a target today” Adm. Philip Davidson, the chief of
due to businesses reopening says CNMI Labor Secretary Vicky the US Indo-Pacific Command has told a hearing of the US Sen-
Benavente. ate Armed Services Committee. “It needs to be defended and
it needs to be prepared for the threat that will come in the
future.” Adm. Davidson says strengthening the U.S. military
Cook Islands presence in Guam and providing arms to Taiwan should be
Country-wide consultations on seabed mining are underway, priorities. “It is our most critical operating location west of
with government officials explaining that while the explora- the international dateline. Funding for the air and missile de-
tion licencing process is happening, any commercial harvest- fence of Guam is my No. 1 priority, most importantly because
ing could be some years away. The Cook Islands Opposition Guam is U.S. homeland. There are 170,000 Americans living in
Democratic Party recently reversed its support for a ten year Guam, and their defence is homeland defence.”
moratorium on seabed mining, stating its previous position
was “ill-advised – given the rapid advances in deep sea tech-
nology and increasingly available deep-sea scientific data.” Kiribati
The Kiribati government is reviewing the Banking Act with a
view to allowing a second entrant into the sector. ANZ is the
Federated States of Micronesia only bank currently operating in Kiribati, but the government
The Federated States of Micronesia government is moving promised to end the monopoly during its election campaign.
to assist low income households through a US$6 million cash
transfer program to provide temporary relief for families
outside of the formal labour sector, who don’t qualify for Pan-
demic Unemployment Assistance. A US$2 million food security Marshall Islands
programme will provide subsistence training and distribute The Marshall Islands and the Solomon Islands are calling for
free planting and fishing materials. There is also funding for a universal, mandatory greenhouse gas levy through the
COVID-awareness programs, waivers of medical expenses and International Maritime Organisation. RMI Ambassador to Fiji,
electricity subsidies. The first cheques will be written next Albon Ishoda says current measures under consideration at the
month. IMO “are inadequate to align the international shipping sector
on the trajectory required to limit temperature increase to
the Paris Agreement goal of 1.5 degrees Celsius. Our proposal
helps to keep this goal in sight.” The proposal would establish
Fiji a levy with an entry price of $100 per tonne/CO2e with regu-
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has signed a US$65 million lar upward ratchets following review.
COVID-19 Liquidity Support Facility for Fiji Airways to help get
it through COVID-19 and return to profitability. The financing
comprises a $40 million loan from ADB and a further $25 mil-
lion loan from the Leading Asia’s Private Infrastructure Fund New Caledonia
(LEAP), which will be administered by ADB. Tesla has decided to become a technical partner in the Goro
nickel mine. Tesla will also buy nickel from the mine in order
to secure a long term supply for manufacture of the lithium-
ion batteries that power its electric cars. New Caledonia has
seen a 26% rally in nickel prices in the past year. Negotiations

8 Islands Business, March 2021