China is pursuing a comprehensive regional economic security agreement with the Pacific nations that would drastically expand its influence and reach these countries, in a pact that has Western countries and some Pacific leaders deeply concerned.
The broad agreement sets out China’s vision for a much closer relationship with the Pacific, especially on security issues, and China proposes that it be involved in police training, cybersecurity, sensitive marine mapping and access to natural resources.
A draft of the agreement, written in a style similar to the controversial bilateral security agreement signed by the Solomon Islands and China last month, and a five-year action plan, both obtained by the Guardian, cover a wide variety of issues. , including trade, finance and investment, tourism, public health and support for Covid-19, establishing Chinese cultural and language exchanges, training and scholarships, as well as disaster prevention and relief.
The deal will be discussed by Pacific leaders and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who has embarked on a marathon tour of the Pacific, visiting eight countries in 10 days. He meets with his Solomon Islands counterpart on Thursday.
China expects the agreement to be signed by 10 Pacific countries in Fiji next week, when Wang hosts the second meeting of China-Pacific Foreign Ministers.
Australia’s new foreign minister, Penny Wong, issued a statement in response to the news of the draft agreement: “China has made its intentions clear. [but] so are the intentions of the new Australian government. “
He will travel to Fiji on Thursday as a first sign of his determination to deepen relations with the Pacific countries, he responded to the news of the draft agreement.
The agreement reiterates China’s commitment to double the volume of bilateral trade in 2025 compared to 2018, and also promises to give an additional $ 2 million to Pacific island countries for Covid relief, in addition to send 200 Chinese medical personnel to Pacific countries over the next five years. China is also offering 2,500 government grants to the region and will send between 5 and 10 art groups to the islands, pending Covid’s rules.
A key focus of the proposed agreement is China’s involvement in Pacific security.
The agreement would dramatically expand China’s commitment to policing in the region, with the draft agreement proposing “expanding law enforcement cooperation, jointly combating transnational crime, and establishing a mechanism for dialogue on law enforcement and police cooperation “.
It places a significant focus on training China’s Pacific police forces, something it is already involved in throughout the region, with China proposing to conduct “intermediate and high-level police training” for island countries in the Pacific. Pacific and, as a matter of urgency, “conduct the first China-Pacific Ministerial Dialogue dialogue on law enforcement and police cooperation” later this year, in addition to helping to build fingerprint testing laboratories, forensic autopsies, drugs, electronic and digital forensics.
The agreement also aims to strengthen cooperation on “cybersecurity” and promote “formulating rules for global data governance”.
The agreement proposes to promote trade between countries, including exploring the possibility of establishing a “Free Trade Area” with the Pacific nations. In addition to seeking to expand mutual cooperation in the fields of infrastructure, energy, mining, IT, e-commerce, agriculture, forestry and fisheries, China expects more direct investment in the Pacific countries by “renowned Chinese companies” .
In a proposal that will raise concerns, China also proposes to jointly develop a “maritime space plan” and participate in sensitive marine mapping, as well as allow China to gain greater access to natural resources.
China already dominates the resource extraction industries in the Pacific. A major Guardian investigation last year revealed that China received more than half of the region’s total tons of seafood, timber and minerals exported in 2019, a $ 3.3 billion transport that experts have described as “of astonishing magnitude.”
A 2016 survey of vessels operating in the Pacific found that China had 290 industrial vessels licensed to operate in the region at the time, more than a quarter of the total, and more than 240 of all Pacific nations combined. .
However, some Pacific leaders have reacted strongly to the agreement.
In a letter to 21 Pacific leaders seen by Reuters, the president of the Federated States of Micronesia (WFTU), which is not one of the countries Wang will visit or meet with, David Panuelo said his country would argue the “pre- joint statement “should be rejected, fearing that it could trigger a new” cold war “between China and the West.
A senior diplomat in the region told the Guardian that some leaders had “big concerns”, but “there is a gap left in this region of traditional partners: they have to work very hard to get the hearts of the people of the Pacific back “.
The diplomat said the deal was not guaranteed. “We will work through our regional architecture to ensure that the security and stability of our region is maintained under international law.”