US set to open new embassy in Tonga this month -senior US diplomat

The United States is on track to open a new embassy in Tonga this month, the top U.S. diplomat for East Asia, Daniel Kritenbrink, said on Tuesday, part of U.S. moves to step up its diplomatic presence in the Pacific region to counter China.

Kritenbrink told a subcommittee of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee the United States was also continuing to engage with Vanuatu and Kiribati about opening proposed new embassies in those countries.