Page 18 - IB June 2019

Politics

cific, the Middle East and Eastern Africa
to Europe, is an integral part of the BRI.
While China states that strengthened
infrastructure, trade and investment
links are its core objectives, the BRI also
provides critical markets for Chinese
manufacturing, materials and labour.
Nine Pacific countries have signed
up; Tonga, PNG, Fiji, Samoa, Niue,
Federated States of Micronesia, Cook
Islands and Vanuatu and New Zea-
land. PNG was the first, with Vanuatu
the most recent, signing in November
2018. In late May Chinese Premier Li
Keqiang met Vanuatu’s Prime Minister
Charlot Salwai in Beijing, where an
agreement for a feasibility study into
building a “small port and road” on
Pentecost Island was signed. China’s
state newsagency Xinhua reported Li
as saying: “China is willing to better
align the Belt and Road Initiative with
Vanuatu’s development strategies and
deepen mutually beneficial cooperation
in such areas as infrastructure, economy
and trade, fisheries and tourism.”
He also pledged China’s support for
Vanuatu’s bid to host the Pacific Islands
Forum’s leaders meeting in 2020 and
Former PNG PM Peter O’Neill meets china President Xi Jinping Photo: Supplied promised to encourage Chinese invest-
ment in Vanuatu. For his part, Prime
Minister Sawai reaffirmed Vanuatu’s
More notches in the belt support for the one-China policy.
In Beijing for the BRI Forum, Fiji’s
China’s BRI gains momentum fisheries minister Semi Koroilavesau
continued negotiations on technical
assistance in aquaculture. “Fiji doesn’t
have the capacity to do this commer-
By Samantha Magick and financing initiatives. cially. In years before we have just been
Two related to the Pacific; the signing doing this on a food security basis, on a
PACIFIC leaders are embracing China’s of an action plan with PNG, and the limited scale and scope,” he says.
Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) with setting up of the Maritime Silk Road Minister Koroilavesau is keen to see
renewed enthusiasm following China’s Port Cooperation Mechanism with 13 Fiji replace at least some of its substan-
hosting of the second BRI Forum in countries, including Fiji. tial fish imports with locally farmed
April. A 2.25 Megawatt Chinese funded product.
5000 participants from over 150 wind power station for Tonga was also “We look at it as climate change miti-
countries and 90 international organi- announced, which Tonga’s Energy CEO, gation and adaptation. There’s a lot of
sations attended the Forum according Paula Ma’u says will “greatly contribute coastal areas that have been inundated
to Chinese authorities. It was a rich to Tonga’s ambitious 50 per cent renew- with sea water but this is the prime
ground for the classic “grip and grin,” able energy generation target by 2020.” condition to breed aquaculture. So we
producing a succession of photos of China is the second largest donor to thought if we can develop these agri-
beaming national leaders, including the region after Australia according to culture areas that have been swamped
(now former) Papua New Guinea Prime the Lowy Institute, which calculates by seawater, we can use brackish water
Minister Peter O’Neill, standing before a China has provided US$1.26 billion for aquaculture, for food security and
sea of red flags, firmly clasping the hand to Pacific island countries since 2011 for export.”
of Chinese President Xi Jinping. (about one-third of total aid to the Elsewhere in the Pacific, Wang Ba-
Beyond its public relations value, the region). odong, Ambassador of the People’s
Forum also produced a 283-item list of Investment will continue through the Republic of China to Tonga says the
deliverables; initiatives either proposed BRI, the ambitious Chinese initiative to Kingdom has already achieved “early
or launched by China, agreements connect Asia with Africa and Europe harvests” under the BRI, “in many
signed during or immediately before through maritime and land corridors. sectors such as infrastructure, clean
the forum, multilateral cooperation The ‘Maritime Silk Road’ , a sea route energy, agriculture, education, trade,
mechanisms under the BRI framework, connecting China’s coastal regions with tourism and sub-national exchanges…
investment projects and project lists, south east and south Asia, the South Pa- In the infrastructure sector, besides the

18 Islands Business, June 2019