Pacific under seige from West

BATTLE: SEEN AS MOVE TO COUNTER CHINA’S RISING INFLUENCE IN RESOURCE-RICH REGION

Island states control vast swathes of resource-rich ocean.

Sydney

The United States, Australia, France and Britain will open new embassies in the Pacific, boost staffing levels and engage with leaders of island nations more often in a bid to counter China’s rising influence in the region.

The battle for influence in the sparsely populated Pacific matters because each of the tiny island states has a vote at international forums like the United Nations. They also control vast swathes of resource-rich ocean.

China has spent $1.3 billion (about R18.7 billion) on concessionary loans and gifts since 2011 to become the Pacific’s second-largest donor after Australia, stoking concern in the West that several tiny nations could end up in debt to Beijing.

In response, Australia, New Zealand and the US say they will increase economic aid and expand their diplomatic presence to countries in the region.

“We are concerned about Chinese practises that lead to unsustainable debt,” said a US government source with direct knowledge of Washington’s plan for the region, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The US official said Washington needed to have adequate representation in the Pacific countries in order to let their governments know what options were open to them and the consequences of taking offers from elsewhere.

China’s embassy in Australia did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Earlier this year, China’s ambassador said Beijing was careful to ensure that borrowers were able to meet debt repayments.

The US government source said Washington would boost diplomatic staffing numbers in Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia and, potentially, Fiji within the next two years.

Australia’s government is