SUVA, Fiji (AP) – China fell short on Monday with a bold plan for 10 Pacific nations to endorse a new comprehensive agreement covering everything from security to fisheries, as some in the region expressed deep concern.
But there have been many minor victories for Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi as he continues an island tour of the region.
Wang was in Fiji to co-organize a key meeting with the foreign ministers of the 10 island nations.
At an unusual press conference later, Wang and Fiji Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama spoke for about 30 minutes and then left the scene abruptly as journalists tried to ask questions. This left undisclosed many details of what happened at the meeting.
But it was clear that the nations had not supported China’s plan.
“As always, we put consensus first among our countries during any discussion on new regional agreements,” Bainimarama said.
While there has been growing international concern about Beijing’s military and financial ambitions in the region, many Fijians see a benefit in foreign investment, wherever it comes from, as long as it elevates people.
Georgina Matilda said working for the Chinese infrastructure company China Railway meant she could put food on the table for her children.
Another Fijian, Miliane Rokolita, said the increase in China’s presence had benefited the people.
“They bring us bigger houses. They bring money to Fiji. They are good people, “said Rokolita.
Documents obtained by The Associated Press indicate that Wang hoped to get the 10 nations to endorse a pre-written agreement as part of a joint statement after the meeting.
But Wang could not reach the consensus he had sought.
David Panuelo, president of the Federated States of Micronesia, told other Pacific leaders that he would not approve the plan, warning them in a letter that it would unnecessarily increase geopolitical tensions and threaten regional stability.
Panuelo called it “the proposed deal that has most changed the game in the Pacific in any of our lives” and said it “threatens to usher in a new era of the Cold War, at best, and a World War at worst “.
During Monday’s press conference, Wang listed some areas where countries had been able to reach an agreement and said he would continue to work on others.
“Following the meeting, China will publish its own position paper on our own positions, proposals and proposals for cooperation with the Pacific Islands countries,” Wang said through an interpreter. “And in the future, we will continue to have ongoing and in-depth debates and consultations to shape more consensus.”
While China may have fallen short in its plans for a major multilateral agreement, it has been signing smaller bilateral agreements with Pacific nations every day during Wang’s tour.
For example, on Friday, Wang visited Kiribati, where a key fishing vessel the size of California is at stake. The Kiribati government said the two nations had later signed 10 agreements ranging from cooperating on economic goals to building a specific bridge.
The Kiribati government did not immediately respond to a request from the PA to provide details of the agreements.
In his press conference, Wang said that “some have wondered why China has been so active in supporting the countries of the Pacific islands.”
He said China had long defended other developing nations both in the Pacific and around the world, something it had begun to do in the 1960s when it helped African nations build railways.
“My advice to these people is, don’t be too anxious and don’t be too nervous,” Wang said.
After the press conference, Chinese Ambassador to Fiji Qian Bo answered some questions from reporters, saying there were “some concerns about specific issues” of some of the 10 nations on the proposed agreement.
“We never impose anything on other countries, let alone on our developing friends and small island countries,” Qian said.
He said China would try to publish the position paper mentioned by Wang in about a week. He said parts of the deal were simply an offer from China to provide assistance to nations.
A draft of the PA’s multilateral settlement proposal shows that China wants to train Pacific police officers, unite in “traditional and non-traditional security” and expand cooperation with law enforcement.
China also wants to jointly develop a marine fisheries plan, which would include the lucrative catch of tuna in the Pacific, increase cooperation in the implementation of the region’s Internet networks, and establish Confucius cultural institutes and classrooms. China also mentions the possibility of establishing a free trade zone with the Pacific nations.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a speech Thursday that China poses an even more serious long-term threat than Russia.
“China is the only country with the intention of reshaping the international order and, increasingly, the economic, diplomatic, military and technological power to do so,” he said. “Beijing’s vision would take us away from the universal values that have underpinned much of the world’s progress over the past 75 years.”
China responded by saying that the US was spreading misinformation. The goal of Blinken’s speech was to “contain and suppress China’s development and maintain US hegemony,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin. “We strongly deplore and strongly reject this.”
China says that in the Pacific, cooperation between Beijing and the island nations has been expanding into a development welcomed by these countries.
In Fiji, the economy was severely affected by the coronavirus pandemic. The vital tourism industry closed overnight and GDP fell by more than 15%. As the world reopens, Fiji is trying to recover and many are happy to see China write the checks.
China’s participation in the region is not entirely out of the blue. There has been a long history of Chinese immigration to Fiji, with many Fijian Chinese running corner shops and other businesses.
“There’s a good side and a bad side,” said Nora Nabukete, a student at the University of the South Pacific. “We give more money to the economy, we inject ourselves and other things, but there is also a side where they bring a lot of new things that are new to Fiji’s culture.”
Nabukete worries about the more sordid side that has been associated with Chinese investment in Fiji: an alleged influx of gambling, gangs and drugs.
He said aligning with China could mean that Fiji creates tension with the United States and other Western nations, and therefore hopes Fiji will not approve Wang’s deal.
“There is a lot more to lose in the future than what we are experiencing now if Fiji signs,” he said.
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Perry reported from Wellington, New Zealand.