(FILES) Kiribati's President Taneti Maamau listens during a signing ceremony for a Millennium Challenge Corporation Challenge investment at the US Department of State in Washington, DC, on September 25, 2023. New Zealand congratulated Kiribati's Taneti Maamau after the pro-China president was elected on October 26, 2024 to a third term in charge of the low-lying Pacific island nation. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski / AFP) (Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)