Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited the tiny kingdom of Tonga on Wednesday, as the US continues to increase its diplomatic efforts in the Pacific while China’s influence in the region grows.

Home to just over 100,000 people, Tonga last year was the site of a massive volcanic eruption that created a tsunami, killed four people in Tonga and sent millions of tons of water vapor into the atmosphere. Blinken dedicated a new US Embassy in Tonga, which opened two months ago, and praised the return of Peace Corps volunteers following the end of the COVID pandemic.