NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, England: The island states of the Pacific – from large Papua New Guinea to the smaller island state of Tuvalu – find themselves in a newly influential position as the West and China battle for their strategic backing . Their negotiating strength may give them more power to attract international aid to tackle the biggest threat to the region – climate change . Failing to keep global warming below a 1.5 degrees Celsius increase is likely to mean the Pacific Island nations experience more frequent climate and weather-induced disasters , and increased inundation of atolls, islands and...