SYDNEY -- Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong on Wednesday announced a visit this week to New Caledonia and Tuvalu, as Canberra seeks closer cooperation to counter China's rising influence in the region.
During the trip from Wednesday through Friday, Wong will meet with New Caledonian President Louis Mapou and Louis Le Franc, France's high commissioner of the French territory, as well as Tuvalu's Acting Prime Minister Ampelosa Tehulu and members of his cabinet.
