Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday meets with the leaders and top officials of 10 Pacific Island states, as part of a diplomatic sortie in the region that has sparked grave Western worry.
Wang is in Suva, the capital of Fiji, where he will co-host a virtual meeting with regional foreign ministers, the majority of whom are also presidents of small island republics.
The virtual summit is anticipated to examine leaked suggestions for China to significantly extend its participation in the economy, security, and politics of the South Pacific.
Beijing is offering millions of dollars in financial help, the possibility of a free trade agreement between China and the Pacific Islands, and access to China's massive market of 1.4 billion people as inducements.
Beijing is offering millions of dollars in financial help, the possibility of a free trade agreement between China and the Pacific Islands, and access to China's massive market of 1.4 billion people as inducements.
China would teach local police, become involved in cybersecurity, improve political ties, do sensitive maritime mapping, and gain more access to natural resources on land and water, according to a secret agreement seen by AFP.
The plan comes as Beijing competes with the United States and its allies for influence in the vitally important Pacific.
Only Pacific states that recognize China over Taiwan will attend Monday's conference, including Solomon Islands, Kiribati, Samoa, and Fiji, which Wang has previously visited on his regional tour.
Analysts believe it is doubtful that Pacific Island leaders will adopt the agreement unanimously.
A recent security agreement between the Solomon Islands and China has sparked significant worry in a territory often more concerned with climate change than with superpower politics.
He stated that the area will be reluctant to be "dragged into geostrategic competition."
On Monday, the president of Palau, a Pacific nation with diplomatic links to Taiwan, told ABC that the region "should be concerned" about the planned treaties.
The President of the Federated States of Micronesia, David Panuelo, warned fellow Pacific leaders that Beijing's most recent plan could "fracture regional peace, security, and stability."
The U.S. Department of State has warned Pacific nations to be aware of "shadowy, imprecise arrangements with minimal transparency" with China. Western powers have resisted the deals.
Australia joined the United States in pressing South Pacific states to reject China's plans to expand its security reach far into the region.
