China's Foreign Minister Starts Pacific Tour; Scribes

China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi and a 20-strong delegation arrived in the Solomon Islands Thursday at the start of an eight-nation tour that comes amid growing concerns about Beijing’s military and financial ambitions in the South Pacific region, Nick Perry reported for the Associated Press (AP).

Photo Insert: China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi

China says the trip builds on a long history of friendly relations between Beijing and the island nations. But Australia scrambled to counter the move by sending its own Foreign Minister Penny Wong to Fiji to shore up support in the Pacific.

Wong had been on the job just five days following an Australian election and had just arrived back Wednesday night from a meeting in Tokyo.

Many Pacific Island nations led by the Federated States of Micronesia are worried that China would gobble them up and harvest their fish to feed 1.4 billion Chinese citizens as China’s territorial waters have become barren.

They expect nothing but motherhood statements from Wang.

In Fiji, Wong said it was up to each island nation to decide what partnerships they formed and what agreements they signed, but urged them to consider the benefits of sticking with Australia.

“Australia will be a partner that doesn’t come with strings attached nor imposing unsustainable financial burdens,” Wong said. “We are a partner that won’t erode Pacific priorities or Pacific institutions.”

Meanwhile, the Media Association of Solomon Islands called on its members to boycott a news conference in the capital, Honiara, held by Wang and his counterpart from the Solomon Islands, Jeremiah Manele, following a meeting between the pair.

That’s because only selected media were invited to the event, and the schedule allowed for just a single question for Wang by China’s state-owned broadcaster CCTV.

“It’s a tough call to make regarding the media boycott for the press event on Thursday,” wrote association president Georgina Kekea on Twitter. “Our protest is for our govt to see our disappointment. They have failed us & they failed to protect #democracy.”

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