; (B) are spread across an expanse of the Pacific Ocean equivalent to 15 percent of the Earth’s surface, including the three subregions of Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia; and (C) face shared challenges in development that have distinct local contexts, including climate change and rising sea levels, geographic distances from major markets, and vulnerability to external shocks such as natural disasters in both slow and sudden onset situations. (2) The United States is a Pacific country with longstanding ties and shared values and interests with the Pacific Islands, including through the Compacts of Free Association with the Freely Associated States, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of Palau. (3) The United States has vital national security interests in the Pacific Islands, including— (A) protecting regional peace and security that fully respects the sovereignty of all nations; (B) advancing economic prosperity free from coercion and unfair practices through trade and sustainable development