First modification:
Touring the islands of the region, the diplomatic chiefs of Beijing and Canberra bid to add nations to their sides with a geopolitical perspective. While China says it has no intention of interfering in internal problems and close agreements, the Australian Foreign Minister warned of “consequences” for the pacts with the Asian giant. Meanwhile, the United States has added Fiji to a cooperation plan that aims to keep China at bay.
The Pacific islands are going through days of intense geopolitical dispute between China, Australia and the United States, who point to agreements with the island countries to obtain greater influence in the region.
These days, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is on a tour of eight South Pacific nations with the aim of drawing up an economic and security pact. Simultaneously, the new leader of Australian diplomacy Penny Wong reacted by moving to these island territories.
Speaking at a press conference in the Fijian capital Suva, Wong stressed that “the security of the region must be determined by the region.” “Historically it has been the case and I think it’s a good thing,” he added in the city to which he traveled last Thursday in response to his Chinese counterpart’s tour and at the risk that he would take away the role of regional leader.
Wang’s tour deepened tensions despite the fact that China clarified that it has no intention of interfering in the internal processes of the island countries or using them as a platform to gain weight in the area.
Fearing that Beijing gains access to these territories and establishes a military base in the South Pacific, near the Australian border, Wong asked that the “consequences” that the presence of the Asian giant will attract be considered.
Wang Yi will have a 10-day journey, which started in the Solomon Islands, continued through Kiribati on Friday, and will continue to Samoa, Fiji, Tonga, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea and East Timor. The idea is to make agreements and investments, like the one achieved in the Solomon Islands last month and that did not go down well in Canberra.
Our Pacific family is strongest when we work together.
Today I met with @FijiPM to reinforce Australia’s commitment to the Vuvale Partnership.
Regional unity has never been more important, as we face unprecedented challenges including COVID, climate change and strategic contest. pic.twitter.com/DgKCHFoatV— Senator Penny Wong (@SenatorWong) May 27, 2022
It will be in Suva where a summit will be held between Wang and his counterparts from the ten nations, one of the pivotal moments of this Chinese rotation in the region.
Beijing and Honiara struck a deal that gives Asians the chance to work with the aviation and tourism sectors, an infrastructure commitment, and the marine and energy industries.
During his stay in Kiribati – which, along with the Solomon Islands, is one of the two countries that cut ties with Taiwan in 2019 to get closer to China – Wang presented a program consisting of a variety of bilateral agreements and a multi-sector cooperation pact. five years with ten Pacific countries.
China’s advance worries Australia and, above all, the United States
The multilateral pact that Beijing is seeking to conceive ranges from security issues to a possible free trade deal and policies to combat the effects of climate change.
As of the security agreement signed between the Solomon Islands and China, the alarms went off in Western countries and fear grew over the potential formation of a military base less than 2,000 kilometers from Australia.
If China’s ‘mega pact’ with the island countries is affirmed after the summit it will hold with the foreign ministers in Fiji, firm progress will be made in the region of vital geostrategic importance.
As a counterweight to the Asians, the United States plays its cards so that the islands do not accede so easily to the plan of the second largest economy in the world. Washington announced on Thursday that Fiji will join the Indo-Pacific Macroeconomic Fund (IPEF), a project launched last week that will seek to assert a more concrete regional presence.
According to Jake Sullivan, National Security Advisor, Fiji is the 14th country to join the plan, the first island in the Pacific. “We are united in our commitment to a free, open and prosperous Indo-Pacific region,” he said.
“A close US partner and leader in the region like Fiji will add value and perspective,” he added. In addition, he emphasized that the islanders will be able to address “the climate crisis and build a clean economy that generates well-paid jobs.”
The US and Japan are already founding members of IPEF, along with Australia, Brunei, South Korea, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
with EFE
#China #Australia #accentuate #race #influence #South #Pacific