[5] During the visit of the expedition to Tuvalu Alfred Thomas Agate, engraver and illustrator, recorded the dress and tattoo patterns of men of Nukufetau.

On 4 August 1892 Captain Davis of HMS Royalist visited Niulakita but did not land on the island, he recorded in the ship's journal: “Several natives appeared on the beach, and hoisted up an American ensign.”[8] On 16 September 1896 Captain Gibson of HMS Curacoa, recorded in the ship's journal that six men and six women, natives of various islands, were living on Niulakita working for Moors.

Captain Gibson determined that the island was not under American protection so he hoisted the Union Jack and delivered the flag, with a copy of the Declaration of British Protectorate, to the headman of the working party.

In 1900 USFC Albatross visited Funafuti when the United States Fish Commission were investigating the formation of coral reefs on Pacific atolls.

[17] Tuvalu is also a member of the Nauru Agreement which addresses the management of tuna purse seine fishing in the tropical western Pacific.

In 2002, Tuvaluan Prime Minister Koloa Talake threatened to take the United States to the International Court of Justice for its refusal to ratify the Kyoto Protocol.

Prime Minister Enele Sopoaga described the important outcomes of COP21 as including the stand-alone provision for assistance to small island states and some of the least developed countries for loss and damage resulting from climate change and the ambition of limiting temperature rise to 1.5 degrees by the end of the century.

On 29 September 2013 the Deputy Prime Minister Vete Sakaio stated in his speech to the General Debate of the 68th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, that Tuvalu, maintains a commitment to “multilateralism and genuine collective action to reflect, assess, address and plan ahead our Chartered principles of peace, justice, human rights and social progress, and equal opportunity for all.”[29] Tuvalu recognises the government of Cuba and the government of Tuvalu has, since 2008, stated a desire for the U.S. to review its relationship with Cuba.

[30] The Deputy Prime Minister Vete Sakaio stated in his 2013 speech to the U.N. that “Tuvalu also fully supports the lifting of the embargos against Cuba.