Page 15 - Islands Business January 2021

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ton should be minimal, as the nations are of great strategic “complicated endeavour” as it involves all three nations plus
importance to the US, especially given China’s rising influence the two development agencies funding it, the World Bank and
in the region. From the Marshall Islands’ perspective, “As Asian Development Bank. Meanwhile the US has issued a for-
we made clear from the start, the Marshall Islands identified mal warning over the move as potentially undermining secu-
three areas that need to be addressed: issues emanating from rity in the region, a charge Beijing denies. This month Nauru
U.S. nuclear testing; issues relating to the U.S. base’s neigh- was the first South Pacific nation to join the ‘Clean Network’,
bours at Kwajalein; and economic assistance,” said Foreign a group of countries and companies that say they are working
Minister Casten N. Nemra last year. to address “long-term threats to data privacy, security, human
The financial provisions of the various compacts end in 2023 rights and trusted collaboration” by excluding ‘high risk’ 5G
for the FSM and RMI, and the following year for Palau, but suppliers, that is, those linked to the Chinese Government.
they are complex negotiations that take several years to bed The South Pacific’s other big operator, Vodafone, is prohib-
down. ited from buying Digicel’s Fiji operations under anti-monopoly
The region will see a number of national elections take regulations, but it could look at the Nauru and Tongan
place this year. In Samoa in April, Prime Minister, Tuilaepa Dr businesses. Reports from Canberra suggest the Australian
Sa’ilele Malielegaoi’s Human Rights Protection Party faces a government is also looking at how it might assist alternative
formidable opponent in Fiame Naomi Mata’afa, who will join operators to buy the interest through subsidised loans or loan
the Fa’atuatua i le Atua Samoa ua Tasi (FAST) opposition party guarantees, again apparently in a bid to stave off Chinese
when the current parliament ends its term. Fiame has built interests.
her campaign on her opposition to three laws relating to the
Land and Titles Court that fundamentally transform Samoa’s Climate negotiations
constitution and judicial system. FSM also goes to the polls in Many Pacific leaders spent 2020 working to push mes-
March and Tonga in November. sages on climate change, even as the world’s attention was
While Fiji voters do not have their say until next year, cam- swallowed by the pandemic, Brexit and America’s political
paigning is already well underway by politicians of all persua- difficulties. The damage wrought by Tropical Cyclone Harold
sions, and former opposition leader Sitiveni Rabuka will spend in Vanuatu and TC Yasa in Fiji last year highlight the continued
this year building his new political party. urgency of this message.
Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister James Marape prevailed “This is not normal. This is a climate emergency,” Fiji Prime
over his political opponents last year, and may yet face a vote Minister Voreqe Bainimarama said in the wake of TC Yasa.
of no confidence in April, although he seems to have won back In December 2020, Forum Leaders made another call for
the support of formerly dissenting party members. stronger climate ambition. “Five years on (from the Paris
He will need to work with the newly elected President of Agreement), we must now ask ourselves: are we making the
the autonomous Bougainville region, Ishmael Toroama, to necessary policy and behavioural change to keep us on the 1.5
progress post-referendum arrangements this year, with the degree pathway? From the perspective of the Blue Pacific, the
next meeting of the joint supervisory body scheduled in Buka answer is simple: no, we are not,” said Tuvalu’s Prime Minister
next month. Kausea Natano.
In French Polynesia, former President Oscar Temaru’s appeal Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown has called on inter-
over his sentence in relation to funding of Radio Tefana, is national financial institutions (IFIs) and development part-
scheduled to continue next month (February). Temaru claims ners to be more flexible in their approach to climate change
he is being punished for his continued activism on France’s financing to Forum Island Countries, proposing initiatives such
nuclear weapons testing. as zero percent interest rates for climate change adaptation
funding amortised over 50-100 years – the equivalent time it
Telecommunications tussles has taken for climate change consequences to take hold.
The geopolitical tussle for influence continues to play out in “To this day, the criteria set by IFIs and donors make it
the region’s telecommunications sector. very difficult for FICs to access needed assistance on a timely
Digicel has indicated it may sell its Pacific operations in Fiji, basis,” Brown said.
Samoa, Vanuatu, Nauru and Tonga after a difficult 2020, and COP 26 is due to be held in the UK this November. In the
says it has been approached by a number of buyers. The com- leadup, Pacific nations will be focussed on Nationally Deter-
pany was carrying approximately US$6.7 billion in debt at the mined Contributions, simplified access to climate finance, and
end of last year. Digicel won’t confirm if those buyers include on the links between climate change and ocean health.
Chinese telcos, but it is a prospect that has created concern Australia’s role continues to be problematic. While Prime
in Washington and Canberra. This follows nervousness around Minister Scott Morrison announced his nation’s intention to
reports that Huawei Marine has bid for the Kiribati Connectiv- drop plans to use Kyoto carryover credits to achieve its 2030
ity Project, a submarine Internet cable that would connect emissions reduction targets, he was denied a speaking spot at
Kiribati, the Federated States of Micronesia and Nauru to a virtual climate summit held last month and if Pacific Islands
the HANTRU-1 undersea cable which lands in Guam, home to Forum leaders manage to meet in person this year, their di-
important US military assets. verging positions will be sure to dominate discussions.
The FSM says the procurement process for the project is a editor@islandsbusiness.com

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