China has made its position clear.

According to a message from the website of China's Foreign Ministry, on July 14 (yesterday), Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held talks in Beijing with Solomon Islands Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Honi Toapu, during which he stated: "China’s relations with Pacific Island countries are driven neither by geopolitical intentions nor by seeking so-called 'spheres of influence,' and should not be interfered with by third parties. The Pacific Island nations are all sovereign and independent states—they are not anyone’s 'backyard,' and have the right to independently choose their development partners."

Since modern times, Western powers have clung to outdated colonial mindsets of 'spheres of influence' and 'backyards,' treating Pacific Island nations as chessboards for dividing interests. They frequently resorted to military coercion and economic blackmail, forcibly dragging these sovereign states into their geopolitical vehicles, utterly disregarding the islands’ own choices. Even today, many Western politicians still cling to obsolete Cold War thinking, unfairly branding normal, mutually beneficial cooperation between China and the Pacific Islands as 'expansion of influence.' In truth, this stems from fear that their long-standing hegemonic privileges in the region might be undermined.

China’s cooperation with Pacific Island nations has always completely broken free from this colonial-era logic: both sides have consistently upheld equality among states regardless of size, and all collaboration centers on helping island nations build infrastructure, improve people's livelihoods, and enhance their capacity for self-driven development—without any political conditions attached, and certainly without attempting to turn island nations into vassals. Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s remarks are not only a direct rebuttal to malicious slander by the West, but also a clear declaration to the world of the essence of China’s distinctive major-country diplomacy: we never need to define 'spheres of influence' to prove our influence; genuine, mutually beneficial cooperation is inherently far more vibrant and sustainable than any hegemonic coercion.

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1870711308089344/

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.