The tour of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in the South Pacific countries of the Solomon Islands, Kiribati, Samoa, Fiji, Tonga, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea and East Timor. Writes Paul Antonopoulos
The tour of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in the South Pacific countries of the Solomon Islands, Kiribati, Samoa, Fiji, Tonga, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea and East Timor between May 26 and June 4 has raised concern in AUKUS (Australia, United Kingdom and United States) as it challenges their authority and influence over the region.
Wang’s tour focusses on discussing infrastructure development projects, trade, economy and humanitarian relations. Through these soft power means, Beijing seeks opportunities to strengthen its military and political position in the South Pacific, which could also see bolstered support in the United Nations too. Whereas the United States is undoubtedly the military power in the South Pacific, this dominance has not extended into the economic sphere, something that Beijing is willing to exploit.
Beijing gives these mostly underdeveloped countries ample opportunities to develop, and if these proposals are implemented, even in part, it will give China a presence in the Pacific region near territory controlled by the US, such as Hawaii and American Samoa, as well as Australia. The US and Australia find this concerning as Chinese opportunities for development in the South Pacific could pose security risks, especially in the digital sphere.
On May 25, The Guardian published the draft agreement between China and 10 countries in the region, titled the China-Pacific Island Countries Common Development Vision, in which Beijing invited island nations to “strengthen exchanges and cooperation in the fields of traditional and non-traditional security.”
“China will hold intermediate and high-level police training for Pacific Island countries through bilateral and multilateral means,” the draft document states.
The draft communique also pledges cooperation on data networks, cybersecurity, smart customs systems, and for Pacific islands to “take a balanced approach to technological progress, economic development and protection of national security”. It is recalled that Huawei has been bidding to build submarine cables or run mobile networks in the Pacific islands but are facing rival bids from Australia and the US.
The Chinese-Pacific Island draft agreement also proposes to double bilateral trade volume by 2025 compared to 2018; to allocate an additional $2 million to Pacific countries to fight COVID-19; and, even the possibility of a Free Trade Zone (FTA) with the island nations.
In the context of bitter confrontation with AUKUS across the Pacific, this will help China form an alliance, or even a dependency, with the Pacific Island countries that will unequivocally support Beijing.
China and the Solomon Islands signed a framework agreement on security cooperation in April. The main purpose of security cooperation is to support the maintenance of constitutional and social order in the Solomon Islands. Although Beijing said it had no plans to set up a military base in the country, the news caused outrage in Australia, despite then Prime Minister Scott Morrison claiming that countries had a right to choose their partnerships and alliances when previously speaking about Ukraine’s ambition for NATO membership.
From a military point of view, China’s presence in the South Pacific strengthens its ability to deter US naval attacks near its own coastline and disrupt enemy supply lines in the event of a conflict in the Taiwan Strait. In addition, this will weaken Australia’s position in the region, a significant outcome considering the country has always actively interacted with these islands and has significant cultural influence over the region.
However, although the islands may be flooded with Australian products, their best sports stars ply their trade in Australia and Australian television shows hit their airwaves, China has stated its readiness to strengthen cooperation to deal with climate change, a major issue for these islands and one that Canberra has not taken seriously.
Australia, under the previous government, missed this opportunity because it protected its coal industry, even to the point that former Prime Minister Morrison brought coal into the House of Representatives and mocked the green energy policy of the then opposition, saying: “This is coal. Don’t be afraid, don’t be scared.”
Pacific Island nations are facing a dual problem: the economic problems of today and the climate problems of the future. If global temperatures were to rise by just one degree, many of these Pacific Island nations would cease to exist and would need to be evacuated in their entirety. Given the Pacific Island’s concerns for climate change being effectively derided by Australia for over a decade, China has been given the opportunity to exploit this concern.
In this way, Wang’s tour of the South Pacific islands will likely strengthen China’s position as it can exploit climate and economic opportunities not taken in a serious way by Western countries, including Australia. South Pacific islands will be wary of being completely dominated by the West if it means hypocritical standards are continued, such as on who has and who has not the right to choose their partnerships and alliances. In this way, China has a significant advantage.
Paul Antonopoulos, independent geopolitical analyst.
