Critical Minerals & Defense Supply Chains: A new U.S. executive order is pushing faster development of critical minerals for defense and advanced electronics, raising pressure across the Pacific on how territories engage exploration and leasing processes. Local Leverage: American Samoa’s “No” stance is framed as a way to protect local interests while acknowledging that any moratorium only covers territorial waters, not federal offshore areas. Pacific Climate Funding Fight: Australia’s A$20m bill to host a major UN climate pre-summit in Fiji (Pre-COP31) has ignited a political clash in Canberra, with the government calling it regional leadership and the opposition calling it misplaced spending amid cost-of-living strain. Regional Industry Angle: The Fiji-hosted talks are positioned to boost Pasifika visibility and partnerships, but the backlash could shape how much money and support flows into Pacific climate-linked projects.