China seeks sweeping deal with small islands
China is pursuing a regional agreement with Pacific island nations that would expand Beijing's role in policing, maritime cooperation and cybersecurity while offering scholarships for more than 2,000 workers and young diplomats, according to documents obtained by The New York Times.
Drafts of the deal were sent to 10 Pacific countries in advance of a Pacific tour by China's foreign minister, Wang Yi, who is scheduled to meet with regional leaders next week in Fiji.
Covering a range of issues, the documents appear to be a joint communique that Beijing wants the countries to adopt. They offer a detailed outline of how Beijing seeks to win friends and gain greater access to the island chains that long have played a strategic role in Asia's geopolitical contests.
The visit and the agreement both seem aimed to counter U.S. efforts to strengthen alliances in Asia.
Wang's first stop is the Solomon Islands, where he is scheduled to appear Thursday to sign a security pact that already has put the Americans and the region on edge. And he is visiting within days of President Joe Biden's Quad meeting in Tokyo with leaders of Australia, Japan and India, where the focus was on containing China's regional influence.
“Wang Yi's visit, in my view, is a direct challenge to the open and free IndoPacific,” said Peter Kenilorea Jr., the Solomon Islands deputy opposition leader.
China is trying to show the Pacific that though the U.S. and its allies are “talking about you” in their Quad meeting, he said, Chinese officials are “here to talk directly to you.”
But, he added, China also was making demands.
“A regional approach is a clear escalation of CCP's ambition in the Pacific,” Kenilorea said, referring to China's ruling Communist Party.
It amounts to a rapid acceleration of a diplomatic push that has, until now, largely focused on one country at a time. And there are signs that the bold approach could backfire.
The Pacific islands span thousands of miles, with sparsely populated countries that have unique histories and rivalries.
Regional agreements typically take years to hammer out; springing a complex proposal onto the Pacific a week before Wang's visit will be viewed by many leaders with suspicion.
President David Panuelo of the Federated States of Micronesia already has warned that the documents reflected nothing short of an effort by China “to acquire access and control of our region.”
In a letter sent last week to 21 countries in the region, he wrote that the proposed language in the agreement “opens our countries to having our phone calls and emails intercepted and overheard.”
He also noted that the regional agreement included language requiring that Pacific island countries abide by the “one China” principle. The Federated States of Micronesia have a defense agreement with the U.S. and an economic cooperation agreement with China. Granting China greater access to their countries, Panuelo argued, increased the chances of China invading Taiwan and going to war with the U.S., Japan, Australia and New Zealand.
“Whoever wins in such a conflict, we will once again be the collateral damage as we become stuck in the crossfire,” he wrote.
And yet, his warning may not be heeded — in part because of what else the agreement includes. There are offers of assistance for dealing with climate change, for development and for sophisticated police laboratories.