By Staff Writer.
China’s Pacific ambitions have suffered a setback after a ten-nation bloc failed to reach an agreement with China regarding a wide-ranging multilateral trade and security pact. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi walked away empty handed after a critical meeting of Foreign Ministers on Monday.
Foreign Minister Wang is on a ten-day eight-country tour of Pacific Island nations that ends on June 4. Locking in the wide-ranging regional security agreement would have accelerated China’s push into the Pacific and caused consternation in Canberra.
Having just secured bilateral security agreements with the Solomon Islands, Samoa, and Kiribati, China was offering other Pacific Island nations financial assistance and the prospect of a free trade agreement in exchange for signing a regional agreement that significantly boosted China’s access to natural resources, increased trade and involvement in policing and cybersecurity.
Details of the proposed agreement called the “China-Pacific Island Countries Common Development Vision,” was sent to Pacific Island leaders before Monday’s meeting. The agreement included a five-year action plan that would “strengthen exchanges and cooperation in the fields of traditional and non-traditional security.”
The planned multilateral agreement sparked an immediate response from some Pacific nations, including Surangel Whipps Jr, the President of Palau, and David Panuelo, President of the Federated States of Micronesia. Both argued signing the agreement with China could have damaging consequences for the South Pacific. President Panuelo said the proposal was “game-changing.”
Facing mounting concerns and increased scrutiny, China suddenly withdrew its planned regional security agreement on Monday. Foreign Minister Wang had hoped to get the Island nations to endorse the pre-written agreement as part of a joint communique after the meeting.
Instead, China’s ambassador to Fiji, Qian Bo, fronted a news conference after the failed meeting to say while there was “general support” for the plan, specific concerns remain unresolved.
“Not every meeting has to issue a joint document, said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian in Beijing later on Monday. “At the foreign ministers’ meeting this time, all parties reached new consensus on this, making an important step towards reaching the final agreement. The parties agreed to continue to engage in active and practical discussions in order to build more consensus.”
Nonetheless, Foreign Minister Wang’s failure to get the Pacific Island leaders to endorse the planned regional agreement is a setback for China’s ambitions in the region and a welcome reprieve for Australia. Newly installed Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong was in Fiji last week, leading the resistance against China’s Pacific push.
While Foreign Minister Wang argued China was not a newcomer to the Pacific, but a long-standing friend, Foreign Minister Wong said the security of the Pacific was the responsibility of the entire Pacific family, of which Australia is a part.
“Australia will always work with the Pacific family to address shared security challenges, which is why we will boost support for Pacific maritime security and increase defence cooperation,” said Foreign Minister Wong in a statement. “We want to bring new energy and more resources to the Pacific.”
While China has accused Australia’s new Foreign Minister of double standards, colonialism, and imperialism, other observers have hailed Monday’s failed meeting as a win for astute statecraft and the new Australian Government’s interest in its Pacific neighbours.
Foreign Minister Wang Xi is spending Tuesday in Tonga.
