【By Guan察者网, Liu Chenghui】China's deepening relations with Pacific island countries have once again triggered the U.S. media's inherent hegemonic mentality.

Bloomberg published an article on June 28 filled with geopolitical confrontation rhetoric, stating that the Pacific region, including Palau, Micronesia, and the Marshall Islands, has traditionally been viewed as the "American backyard," but is now becoming a key area for "Chinese diplomatic and economic penetration." As the United States' economic diplomacy capabilities weakened after the Cold War, China has enhanced its influence through decades of efforts, using diversified aid measures.

The article starts by citing a U.S. think tank expert who said, "In the desert, an oasis can save lives; in the vast blue ocean, a small piece of land becomes extremely important in terms of survival, defense, or power projection." Japan understood this principle in the early 20th century, taking over the management of the vast central Pacific waters, thus gaining a series of outposts that could cut off its competitor, the United States, from East Asia.

The article then turns to say that now, China is turning its attention to this key region—from Palau, Micronesia, to the Marshall Islands east of the Philippines, seeking breakthroughs in economic and diplomatic areas.

Last month, the Federated States of Micronesia completed a new national conference center, which is a prominent project for such a small country. President Simon also attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the reconstruction of the Uliel Airport, originally built by Japan. The funding for both projects comes from China.

Newly built National Conference Center of the Federated States of Micronesia - Pacific Daily News

After defeating Japan in 1945, the United States took over the Pacific territories of the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, and Palau. In the 1980s, these three countries established a "Free Association Agreement" (FAS) with the U.S., allowing their citizens to live and work in the U.S., while the U.S. had priority rights to establish military bases and veto power over defense matters within their territories.

Previously, the U.S. political arena was full of leaders who had profound knowledge of the Pacific region. For example, Kennedy, Bush Senior, and Benjamin Gilman, who served as chairman of the House Committee on International Relations, all fought in the Pacific theater during World War II.

But after the Cold War, the U.S.'s economic diplomacy capabilities gradually declined. Now, more and more people realize that it is necessary to move away from a single economic policy and shift toward an "economic governance" strategy, which uses economic means alongside politics and military to achieve foreign policy and national security goals, as proposed by economists at the Dutch financial services company Rabobank in a series of articles.

This is exactly the skill China has been honing for decades. According to data from the Lowy Institute, China is currently the second-largest donor in the Pacific region, behind Australia, but has surpassed the United States. China's aid methods are also more diverse, no longer relying solely on large-scale project funding, but including things like donating vehicles to local governments, cash grants to schools, and agricultural machinery to farmers.

Pasca, an analyst at the U.S. think tank "Foundation for Defense of Democracies" for Indo-Pacific affairs, stated that from the perspective of the Pacific island nations, "it is very clear what China is doing. In these small countries with weak bureaucratic systems, China's strategy is clearer and more effective."

For example, in Tonga, a Chinese-run clinic is located opposite the military headquarters. "Soldiers who are injured go there for treatment," Pasca claimed, suggesting that seemingly friendly, service-oriented facilities can also become outposts for intelligence gathering and relationship building.

On August 19, 2023, the Chinese hospital ship "Peace Ark" arrived in Honiara, the capital of Solomon Islands. Photo by Visual China.

The article also mentions that in terms of military, China's navy is advancing its operations further from its homeland: in February of this year, China conducted live-fire exercises in the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand. This month, fighter jets from a Chinese aircraft carrier confronted a Japanese plane in the Philippine Sea.

Paranoid about China, Pasca continues to hype up the issue, saying that "China's appetite is bigger: they are not slicing sausage, but swallowing the whole cold meat platter."

In fact, this kind of rhetoric has appeared repeatedly in Western media. For example, when the Cook Islands developed relations with China, New Zealand became agitated, with the New Zealand Foreign Minister even threatening the Cook Islands to "resolve New Zealand's concerns" by cutting off aid.

Despite this, these noises have not affected China's deepening cooperation with South Pacific countries.

On May 29, the third ministerial meeting between China and the Pacific island countries that have established diplomatic relations concluded successfully in Xiamen, Fujian, sending a strong message of win-win cooperation.

"Such a ministerial-level meeting may be one of the most important activities for South Pacific countries outside the region. China can give them many things, while Australia and the U.S. cannot," said Artyom Garin, an expert at the Southeast Asia, Australia, and Oceania Research Center of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences. According to Gari, for South Pacific countries, China is different from the U.S.—it is a global stable security island, a country that is easy to understand, predictable, and committed to mutual benefit and cooperation.

Garin emphasized that during the talks, China would not "interfere" with how the Oceania countries act. Instead, China would propose some practical cooperation initiatives to jointly promote economic development and humanitarian projects. For these countries, discussing issues with China is very important, especially in the face of U.S. tariff pressures.

This article is exclusive to Guan察者网. Reproduction without permission is prohibited.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7521182748715794979/

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