Newly appointed Foreign Minister Penny Wong has told Fiji leaders that Australia is an open and willing security partner as concerns about China’s influence in the region grow. Wong stressed that Australia understood that climate change was “real” for island nations, which would make it one of the first to be hit by rising sea levels.
Following the signing of a security pact with China, the nearby Solomon Islands nation, Wong said he wants the Pacific nations to choose Australia as a security partner willingly.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong has said she wants the Pacific Island nations to choose Australia openly, not out of some form of obligation. (Getty)
“Our message in the Pacific is clear. We are listening and we have heard you,” Wong said in Fiji.
“I am very pleased that so many Australians have voted in favor of stronger climate action. And I recognize that this has been something that Fiji and other Pacific Island nations have been saying for many years.
“For you, climate change is not abstract. It is not a political argument. It is real.”
Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare (right) with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (left) in Solomon Islands. There is growing concern about China’s influence in the area. (AP)
The implications of greater Chinese influence in the Pacific are not lost on other Western powers.
Following Fiji’s decision to join the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) today, the White House issued a statement in support of an “open” Indo-Pacific region.
“Fiji, a close partner in the United States and a leader in the region, will add vital value and perspective to IPEF, including our efforts to address the climate crisis and build a clean economy that creates good, high-paying jobs.” said the US government. he said in a statement.
“The future of the 21st century economy will be largely written in the Indo-Pacific, and IPEF will help drive the sustainable growth of all our economies.
“The United States is grateful to Prime Minister Bainimarama and looks forward to deepening our partnership for the benefit of our countries, the Pacific Islands and the Indo-Pacific.”
Pacific Island nations are believed to be one of the first to be affected when sea levels rise. (Supplied)
The timing of Wong’s visit to Fiji – and the nation’s entry into the IPEF – has come curiously at the same time as Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is in the area to sign the agreement. China-Solomon Islands framework.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China issued a concise written statement on the visit, effectively arguing that any agreement between China and the Solomon Islands was a matter for these two countries, and no one else.
“Wang Yi stressed that the Pacific island countries are sovereign and independent states and are not anyone’s ‘backyard’; both countries have the right to take their own elections, not be subordinate to each other,” the statement said. .
“Any defamation and attack on normal security cooperation between China and the Solomon Islands will be a dead end and any interference and sabotage will be doomed to failure.”
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