China’s secrecy in South Pacific

Confirmation that the small Polynesian island nation of Samoa has concluded an agreement for “greater collaboration” with Beijing confirms the extent of China’s thrust into the South Pacific, being driven by Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Little is known about the details of the “greater collaboration” agreed during Mr Wang’s 16-hour visit to Apia on Saturday. As with his earlier visit to Solomon Islands, local media in Samoa have complained of the strict secrecy surrounding the agreement. In a lengthy editorial, the Samoa Observer spoke of a “top secret” visit during which “no information was forthcoming”. It questioned whether it was “an opportunity for one-on-one negotiations with Samoa on plans by China to get Pacific Island nations to sign up to a regional agreement that would also tie up our security and law enforcement as well as fisheries resources”.

Similar concerns about secrecy were raised after a four-hour visit by Mr Wang to the Kiribati capital, Tarawa. Details of new deals struck by Mr Wang – beyond that with Solomon Islands – might emerge when he meets leaders from across the South Pacific, summoned to see him collectively in Fiji. What is clear is that Beijing is on a full-scale drive to gain influence and do deals with even the smallest, most vulnerable states. This underlines the challenge posed to Australia, the US and other nations.

Like Solomon Islands, Samoa, the first South Pacific nation to gain its independence in 1962, has longstanding security ties to Australia. But these are potentially under threat as Beijing uses dubious largesse to seek strategic advantage. As the Samoa Observer noted, the nation should strive for transparency to avoid creating a public perception that “we are living in a police state like China, where human rights are restricted and leaders are not accountable’’ through a free press.

In a Facebook post in which he said it had been “wonderful” to meet Foreign Minister Penny Wong last week, Fiji’s leader, Frank Bainimarama, said Fiji’s concern was not geopolitics but climate change. Fair enough. But as he and other leaders meet the Foreign Minister of one of the world’s heaviest polluters, they should understand the risks of Beijing’s self-serving strategic designs.