Pacific Nations Refuse To Sign Deal Offered By China

Pacific island nations have declined to sign up to a sweeping regional economic and security deal proposed by China after a crucial meeting of Pacific foreign ministers and their Chinese counterpart on Monday, Kate Lyons reported for The Guardian

Photo Insert: Fiji’s prime minister Frank Bainimarama

China’s foreign minister Wang Yi is in the middle of a marathon tour of the region, visiting eight countries in 10 days, a trip that security experts have said represents a dramatic “uptick in tempo” of China’s push for influence in the region.

On Monday he held a virtual summit in Fiji with foreign ministers from Pacific countries at which the region-wide deal was discussed. The deal, which was leaked last week, covers everything from a free trade area with the region to provide humanitarian and Covid relief.

It also lays out China’s vision for a much closer relationship with the Pacific, especially on security matters, with China proposing it would be involved in training police, cybersecurity, sensitive marine mapping, and gaining greater access to natural resources.

At a press event after the meeting, attended by Wang and Fiji’s prime minister Frank Bainimarama, China confirmed the deal had been shelved for now. China’s ambassador to Fiji said that while there had been “general support” for the agreement among foreign ministers, it had been put aside after some Pacific countries voiced concerns.

Bainimarama also alluded to dissent among some countries at the meeting, saying the group had a “consensus first” approach. After the meeting, Wang said that China would release a position paper to shape consensus and cooperation. The rejection of the deal comes after Wang touched down in Fiji on Friday as part of a diplomatic tour through the region.

He met with Bainimarama on Monday, a summit that both leaders said had been successful. The two countries signed at least three agreements after the meeting, which Wang said would expand cooperation over the economy, trade, agriculture, fisheries, tourism, civil aviation, education, law enforcement, and emergency management.

At a press event on Monday afternoon, at which questions from media were not allowed, Wang said that China would provide assistance to Pacific Island countries with “no political strings attached.”

Bainimarama reaffirmed the importance of climate change to the Pacific, saying that Pacific nations were not interested in “geopolitical point-scoring” given the threats of climate change and the pandemic.

He said he had urged China to make stronger commitments on the climate crisis, something he does when dealing with all major economies.

The leak of the proposed regional deal came just one month after the signing of a controversial bilateral security deal signed by the Solomon Islands and China, that caused huge alarm across the West, prompting high-level diplomatic visits from Australia, New Zealand, and the US all of whom sought to urge the Solomon Islands government not to sign it.

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