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I'm John Batchel. I welcome my good colleague, Cleo Pascal, my guide on the vast blue part of the planet called the Indo-Pacific, Oceania, watching especially the contest between the People's Republic of China and the United States in Central Pacific, in Southern Pacific, and Northern Pacific.

All of this adds up to an endless amount of anecdote and fear among the people who live there

that the U.S. will forget them or doesn't take seriously what

the threat is. Cleo has been my guide, so we begin with remarks that she made before Insular

Affairs in 25 updating the Bureau of Insular Affairs, part of the Department of Commerce.

Department of the Interior, I'm sorry.

Cleo, a very good evening to you.

Thank you for this.

You've educated me to understand that just because it's territory of the United States,

that would be the Marianas, or just because it's under the U.S. protection, that would be

Micronesia.

That does not, in any way back the Chinese nationals to exploit the politicians,

the commerce of the area, such as a casino, or the people of these different islands.

Right now, with all of the testimony you've given and the travels you've been this last several months

of the new year and the last summer

...