SYDNEY, Australia — The United States said Friday it has officially opened an embassy in Vanuatu, part of continuing efforts to deal with China's increasing influence in the strategically important South Pacific region.

Washington has been opening embassies in a string of South Pacific states, a surge of diplomatic activity spurred by China's growing regional clout.

US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement that the embassy in Vanuatu's tropical seaside capital Port Vila "builds upon our efforts to provide more diplomatic presence throughout the region."

Beijing has in recent months embarked on its own flurry of influence-building endeavors.

At a festive opening ceremony in early July, Chinese officials handed over the keys to a sweeping "presidential palace" built in Vanuatu.

Solomon Islands, one of China's strongest supporters in the region, on Monday announced a $20 million cash injection from Beijing to prop up its government budget.

The leaders of both Solomon Islands and Vanuatu were hosted in Beijing earlier this month for meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The United States last year re-opened its long-defunct embassy in Solomon Islands, followed by the establishment of an embassy in the Kingdom of Tonga.

It formalized diplomatic relations with the small Pacific states of Niue and Cook Islands in September.

Several important maritime routes run through the vast but sparsely populated South Pacific, a potentially crucial gateway should flashpoints in the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea one day spiral into conflict.