The Chinese government says it remains confident it can reach a comprehensive trade and security agreement with 10 Pacific island states despite being forced to suspend its proposed agreement.
Key points:
- China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has downplayed the importance of the setback
- Several Pacific Islander leaders have expressed concern over both the substance of the pact and China’s approach.
- The Prime Minister of Samoa has suggested that the deal could be discussed at the next meeting of leaders of the Pacific Islands Forum.
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with 10 Pacific counterparts on Monday, less than a week after a copy of the Common Development Vision agreement was leaked to the press.
The proposal sparked controversy among Pacific Island nations, with Micronesian President David Panuelo warning that it could fuel geopolitical clashes in the region and undermine the sovereignty of Pacific countries.
On Monday, China’s ambassador to Fiji confirmed that some Pacific nations had “concerns” over some “issues” of the deal and said Beijing would try to reach a consensus.
But Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian downplayed the importance of the break when reporters in Beijing asked him.
“As for the joint document you mentioned, it involves an ongoing discussion process,” he said.
“Not all meetings have to issue a joint document.
“At the meeting of Foreign Ministers this time, all parties reached a new consensus on this, taking an important step towards reaching the final agreement.
“The parties agreed to continue participating in active and practical discussions in order to generate more consensus.”
Wang Yi and Fiji Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama chaired the meeting. (Provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China)
Separately, the state tabloid Global Times appeared to be targeting Mr. Panuelo for blocking the deal, saying “a few people” in the Pacific “under pressure and coercion from the U.S. and the former colonizer may be willing to serve northern interests “Americans at the expense of their national and popular interests.”
However, a growing number of Pacific Island leaders have now expressed concerns about both the substance of the pact and the way China appears to have tried to push through the agreement ahead of Wang’s meeting yesterday.
Samoa Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata’afa suggested during a press conference on Monday that her country had been rushed by China, saying: “We have not made any decision. [about the agreement] because we didn’t have enough time to look at it. “
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Diplomatic sources told the ABC that Fiji had indicated to China before the meeting that it could not reach an agreement because some Pacific Island nations had reservations about its impact.
But they also stressed that China had not abandoned the pact and that Beijing would now likely redouble its efforts to persuade the Pacific Island nations to sign it.
Anna Powles of Massey University said that although Chinese officials had adopted the “language” of consensus, “they have clearly not put it into practice so far.”
“The result shows that there was a clear resistance to the agreement by Pacific leaders because of concerns about the substance and the process by which Beijing tried to get it adopted,” Dr. Powles said in a statement. ‘ABC.
“Adopting a consensus in the current environment will be a challenge given the publicly expressed concerns of the WSF (Federated States of Micronesia) and Palau, as well as Niue.”
The Samoan leader also suggested that the issue could be raised at the next meeting of leaders of the Pacific Islands Forum, which is likely to be held in July.
Dr. Powles said discussing the issue at the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) would be “a challenge” because four PIF nations still recognize Taiwan instead of China.
“Bringing the deal to the PIF can be an attempt to derail it completely,” he said.
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