A battle for influence: Australia on Friday (May 27) urged South Pacific nations to rebuff attempts by China, which is engaged in a charm offensive in the region to extend its security grip.
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Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong traveled to Fiji on her first official visit on Thursday, seeking to woo island states after the Solomon Islands took Canberra by surprise last month by signing a security pact of large-scale with China.
"Slanders and Attacks"
“
We have publicly expressed our concerns about this security deal
,” Penny Wong said in the capital Suva.
“
Like other Pacific islands, we believe there are consequences.
We believe it is important that the security of the region is determined by the region
,” she added.
At the same time, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi was visiting several South Pacific countries with the aim of expanding cooperation in security and free trade.
During his first stop in the Solomon Islands on Thursday, Wang Yi denounced the "
slander and attacks
" against the security agreement concluded with the island state, during a press conference in Honiara from which some journalists were excluded.
Wang Yi took a short flight to Kiribati on Friday, the next destination of an extensive tour that will last until June 4 with stops in Samoa, Papua New Guinea and Fiji.
"
Partner of choice
"
Australia's foreign minister, who was sworn in on Monday shortly after Labor won the May 21 parliamentary election, argued in Fiji that her country would be a better choice than China.
“
We want to be a partner of choice
,” she insisted.
“
We want to demonstrate to your nation and other nations in the region that we are a partner who can be trusted, who can be reliable.
And historically we have been
,” she said, highlighting Australia's record on development aid.
“
We want to work with you on your priorities.
We want to work together as part of the Pacific family
.”
Penny Wong said she traveled to Fiji to show that the Pacific region was on her country's list of priorities.
Making up for a “lost decade”
No mention was made of similar plans from China.
She recalled that the new government of Anthony Albanese aimed to make up for a "
lost decade
" in terms of climate change, a crucial subject for the Pacific islands particularly threatened.
China has already launched a vast initiative.
The draft agreement and the five-year plan, which AFP was able to consult, testifies to its ambitions.
According to these documents, China intends to offer ten island states in the region millions of dollars in assistance, the prospect of a free trade agreement as well as the possibility of accessing the vast Chinese market and its 1.4 billion of inhabitants.
“Dark, vague and not very transparent agreements”
In return, China would train police forces and get involved in local cybersecurity.
It could also carry out sensitive nautical mapping operations and gain better access to local natural resources.
This "
common development vision
", as the project is called, could be adopted on May 30, during a meeting scheduled in Fiji between Wang Yi and the region's foreign ministers.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern responded by saying the Pacific could manage its security without Chinese help.
For its part, the US State Department has told countries to beware
of Beijing 's "
obscure, vague and not very transparent agreements ".
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The cooperation plan, if accepted, could represent a major turning point, notably facilitating a number of police and military operations.
In addition, flights between China and the Pacific islands would be multiplied, Beijing would appoint a regional envoy, provide training for young Pacific diplomats and provide 2,500 government “
scholarships
”.