SUVA, July 17 (Reuters) – Pacific island nations, which China and the United States are courting, have sued the superpowers, urging the world’s two largest CO2 emitters to take more action on climate change while promising unity in the face of a growing geopolitical competition.
Leaders at a four-day summit at the Pacific Islands Forum, which met in Fiji’s capital, Suva, spun over a Chinese attempt to split some of the nations into a trade and security deal, while Washington promised more economic and diplomatic engagement.
The exclusive economic zones for the 17 forum members span 30 million square kilometers (10 million square miles) of sea – and supply half of the world’s tuna, the most eaten fish. Nations are also experiencing some of the most severe effects of climate change as rising seas flood lower-lying areas.
‘SPLINTERING REGIONALISM’
The communication mentions an urgent need for assistance for debt vulnerability and the rising cost of food in the midst of the pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. To see also : Facts: Vice President Harris announces commitment to strengthening US partnership with Pacific Islands.
In a video speech to the forum, US Vice President Kamala Harris promised to triple funding for the Pacific Islands over a decade under a fisheries treaty and open more embassies. Read more
Pacific leaders at times showed irritation over the global focus on competition between Washington and Beijing for their region.
Australia similarly said less about security and promised greater support for its neighbors’ climate change agenda, although maritime surveillance announcements to protect sustainable fisheries indicated its central concern.
“It is harder for countries responsible for most of the illegal fishing than to argue that they will support the region to stop illegal fishing,” Australian Pacific Minister Pat Conroy said in an interview with China.
Australian officials say privately that they do not want security choices in the region driven by economic ties to China, and although the Pacific islands are sophisticated players, they need financial support because many owe historical debt to Beijing.
Fiji, for example, has not borrowed from China since 2012, but continues to service export-import bank loans to Chinese infrastructure projects that will cost the government $ 40 million ($ 18 million) this year, budget documents show.
Analyst Michael Shoebridge of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute said Beijing holds a record for “splintering regionalism” and draws a parallel between its recent Pacific diplomacy and a platform it created ten years ago to engage with European countries and bypass EU.
Some leaders said in interviews that China provided economic opportunities that small island economies could not ignore, even though they agreed to work through the forum to remain united in their response to superpower competition, especially on security, after concerns that Beijing entered into a security agreement in April with the Solomon Islands.
The forum’s secretary general openly criticized China’s attempt to get about half of the forum members to sign a trade and security agreement in May, which would exclude members with ties to Taiwan and exclude Australia and New Zealand. Leaders at the summit said it had been rushed without consultation. Read more
The Chinese embassy in Fiji responded to Twitter on Saturday, saying that Beijing had prepared and presented the outcome document to the Pacific Islands a month prior to a meeting with foreign ministers. Beijing has created a new platform for cooperation with the Pacific Islands through an annual meeting with its foreign minister, it said.
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Reporting by Kirsty Needham in Suva; Edited by William Mallard See the article : No matter China’s new aircraft carrier, these are the ships the United States should take care of.
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