(Bloomberg) -- New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has announced financial support for Samoa on a visit to the Pacific Island nation, as she seeks to reaffirm New Zealand’s commitment to the region amid increased interest from China.

New Zealand will contribute NZ$15 million ($9.5 million) as part of a new climate change partnership with Samoa to help it cope with climate change, Ardern said in a statement from Apia on Tuesday. Another NZ$12 million will be provided to assist with the rebuilding of a historic market in the capital destroyed by fire in 2016, she said.

“I am pleased to reaffirm our commitment to Samoa -- and the priorities of the Government of Samoa,” Ardern said. “This funding will help build Samoa’s resilience to the impacts of climate change and its transition to a low emissions economy.”

New Zealand and Australia were shocked when China signed a security agreement with the Solomon Islands in April, a major diplomatic victory for Beijing and its first such deal in the Pacific. Ardern told a NATO summit in June that China was becoming more assertive and more willing to challenge international rules and norms.

In a speech on Monday, she urged China to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, saying Beijing has benefited from international rules and has a duty to uphold them.

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Author: Matthew Brockett