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China and other democratic powers such as Australia and Japan have stepped up their outreach to Pacific island nations in recent weeks, intensifying what some regional politicians and analysts describe as great power competition, especially in the security realm.
“Geopolitical competition in the Pacific continues to intensify as traditional partners launch new activities and new partners continue to show renewed interest,” said Mihaly Sola, director of the Pacific Islands Program at Australia’s Lowy Institute.
Last month, Solomon Islands Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele and Vanuatu Prime Minister Charlotte Salwai made high-profile visits to China and vowed to “deepen their comprehensive strategic partnership with China.”
Manele, in his first visit to China as Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands, announced on July 16 that China would provide the Solomon Islands with “budgetary assistance” worth more than US$20 million. The Chinese government has not yet publicly confirmed the news.
China also reiterated its commitment to help support and train the Solomon Islands police force, a commitment that began after Honiara signed two controversial security agreements with Beijing in the past two years.
Meanwhile, leaders of 18 Pacific island nations held a three-day summit in Tokyo in mid-July and agreed to strengthen Japan’s role in the region’s development. Tokyo and the Pacific island nations also announced a joint action plan to increase the number of port calls by the Japan Self-Defense Forces and deepen cooperation between coast guard agencies.
Sora said Japan hopes to deepen cooperation with Pacific countries in the security field, which is different from Japan’s traditional role as an aid donor.
“We are seeing growing concerns in Japan about China’s role and influence in international security, and they are particularly concerned about China’s advances into the Pacific security space,” he said in a VOA video interview.
In a joint statement issued at the end of a meeting of Pacific island leaders, Japan and the Pacific island nations said they “strongly oppose any unilateral change of the status quo by the threat, use of force or coercion anywhere in the world.” They did not mention China in the document.
Sora said Japan’s efforts are aimed at maintaining a rules-based order in the Pacific region and it hopes to strengthen cooperation with regional countries on maritime security.
Australia, which has traditionally been a security provider for countries in the region, is considering helping the Solomon Islands double the size of its police force as Canberra grows wary of Honiara’s police deal with Beijing.
Australia is also supporting the development needs of Pacific Island nations, including this week’s announcement of plans to open a new submarine cable connectivity and resilience centre to help countries in the region develop their digital economies by expanding data network connectivity.
However, some Pacific island politicians believe efforts by major democracies to deepen ties with regional countries could prove problematic.
“Instead of sending development-focused officials to engage with Pacific island nations, major democracies are sending more security personnel to facilitate dialogue,” said Peter Kenilorea Jr, a key independent member of the Solomon Islands parliament.
He said that while China’s attempts to strengthen security ties with Pacific island nations remain his top concern, efforts by democracies to counter China’s growing security presence in the Pacific have overshadowed the region’s pressing development needs.
“While there is attention being paid by major democracies, it is not the right focus on countries in the region,” Keniloria told VOA on the sidelines of the Pacific Island Political Dialogue Summit in Taipei, adding that Pacific island nations should work to shift the focus back to their development needs when engaging with major democracies.
Some experts say politicians in other Pacific island nations have expressed similar concerns about growing security concerns and competition with China in the Pacific.
Tess Newton-Cain, adjunct associate professor at Australia’s Griffith Asia Institute, said there was “a fair degree of skepticism” among Pacific leaders about the motivation of major democracies to engage with them.
“They are very clear that the reason everyone wants to be their friend and the reason everyone wants to talk to them is that they see it as a way to contain China,” she told VOA by phone.
Sola said that despite Pacific island nations’ desire to redirect engagement with major powers toward development, concerns about China’s growing influence in the Pacific remain a key driver of democracies’ efforts in the region.
“Concerns about China’s activities in the Pacific have enabled lawmakers to mobilize more resources rather than just looking at the region through a traditional development lens,” he said.
But he added that securitization in the Pacific was an “inevitable” trend.
“What differentiates the approaches of different players is their commitment to transparency and aligning their activities with Pacific Island priorities,” Sola said.
Given that great power competition in the Pacific region is likely to intensify in the near future, Kainiloria said the key for Pacific island countries to safeguard their interests is to “act together.”
“I think regionalism is how we deal with some of the great power challenges,” he told VOA.
Source: PACNEWS
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