The South Pacific has become in recent months a theater of strong rivalry between China and the United States.
On Thursday May 26, Wang Yi, Chinese Foreign Minister, began a tour of several small island states (Solomon Islands, Samoa, Vanuatu, Fiji, Kiribati, Tonga, Papua New Guinea, etc.) in the South Pacific region.
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China intends to offer a dozen of them millions of dollars in aid and a draft free trade agreement giving them access to the vast Chinese market.
The small independent states of the South Pacific, scattered over thousands of islands, represent less than 9 million inhabitants. But they are located in the heart of an area that Beijing, which seeks to extend its influence all over the world, considers strategic. Close to New Caledonia and Australia, an ally of the United States towards which Beijing is showing growing hostility, these small republics have vast marine territories.
major turning point
The Chinese giant’s draft agreement includes the training of local police officers and diplomats, teamwork on « traditional and non-traditional security », including cybersecurity. It would also allow China to carry out sensitive nautical mapping operations and gain better access to local natural resources.
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The South Pacific has for months become a theater of intense rivalry between China and the United States, the leading power in the region for several decades. Washington is seeking to strengthen its alliances there with China, in particular by reviving the Quad, a security alliance with Australia, Japan and India.
Beijing, for its part, is seeking to increase its military, political and economic presence there. But it has made only limited and uneven progress so far. If accepted, the new cooperation plan could, on the other hand, mark a major turning point by notably facilitating the presence of Beijing in police or military operations.
‘Scaling up’ Australian engagement
China already concluded a security pact with the Solomon Islands in April, which should become a model in the region, Wang Yi said. The vague contours of this agreement worry Canberra and Washington. They fear that he will allow Beijing to install a military presence in the archipelago even if the Chinese minister denied Thursday that China had “intention” to install a military base there.
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New Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese nevertheless announced on Thursday an « intensification » of Australia’s commitment to the Pacific, with around 500 million Australian dollars (330 million euros) in aid for defense training. , maritime safety and infrastructure to combat the effects of climate change.
Leaders of small Pacific republics are also worried about Beijing’s trade and security proposals. The President of the Federated States of Micronesia, David Panuelo, has sent his colleagues in the South Pacific a virulent letter warning against an agreement “attractive « at first sight, but likely to give China the means »to gain access and control over our region« .
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