US President Joe Biden on Monday at the US-Pacific Islands Forum at the White House announced that the US recognizes the Cook Islands and Niue as “sovereign and independent” states, and pledged to open diplomatic relations, while reiterating that “the history and the future of the Pacific islands and the United States are inextricably linked,” news reports said.
Is Taiwan any less worthy than those two for the US to recognize its sovereignty?
The Cook Islands is a group of 15 islands with a combined land area of about 240km2 and a population of about 170,000. Niue covers about 261km2 and had a population of 1,689 last year.