In the coming week, Secretary Blinken wraps up a strategic Pacific tour in Australia.

The Klemian government and rebels commence a ceasefire and Thailand navigates a potential battle royale.

It's July 27, 2003 in time for the world next week. I'm Bob McMahon.

And I'm Carly Ann Robbins.

So, Bob, let's start in the Pacific.

The Saturday U.S. Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken,

wraps up his trip to Tonga, New Zealand and Australia.

So besides cheering on the U.S.

women's soccer team, what's Blinken's agenda? Security is obviously a big one with Australia,

which is now part of Ocus and the quad. But why New Zealand, other than the soccer teams,

and why Tonga, which has a population of 100,000 people. Well, if I could say one word or one country,

Carla, it would be China. In fact, one could say China, like nature, abhors a vacuum and has perceived a vacuum in the Pacific Rim and has moved in with a great deal of Verve in terms of

signing up countries for infrastructure deals, sometimes security arrangements, police training,

things like that, all of which has certainly gotten the attention of the U.S. as well as its allies,

Australia and New Zealand. And so you've had a set of plans and summits and visits that have

been lined up by the Biden administration. That last year there was a summit that the U.S.

held with

Pacific Island nations. They're due to hold another one, I believe, in September. And they have

been making a case against what they call China's economic coercion. We heard this again from

Anthony Blinken when he visited Tonga. This, I believe, was the first visit ever by a U.S.

Cabinet minister to that archipelago nation. And so Tonga getting

a lot of attention. It has already gotten attention from China. It has itself said it's not

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