Kurt Campbell, the US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, arrives in Tonga on August 1, the first stop of a tour that includes six other Pacific Island countries.

This is the second annual visit to the Pacific led by the Assistant Secretary of State, to reaffirm the United States commitment to working with Pacific islands, to secure a sustainable, prosperous, and peaceful future.

The delegation will include Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Cecil Haney, Jeff Prescott, Special Advisor for Asian Affairs at the Office of the Vice President, and Gloria Steele, USAID Mission Director for the Philippines and the Pacific Islands.

The Assistant Secretary is expected to meet with Prime Minister Lord Tu'ivakano, government and civil society officials, before leaving Tonga on August 2.

The tour includes Kiribati, Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Palau, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands before the party return to Washington DC, on August 8.

Kurt Campbell visited Tonga in June last year, on their first Pacific visit.