Chinese FM's Pacific Islands tour: Beijing's answer to Quad?

If the countries agree to get into security cooperation with Beijing, it would help China's efforts to build a counter to the West

Chinese interests in the Pacific Islands have attracted increasing international attention. Beijing is going all out to attract and bring the countries in the Pacific Islands under its sphere of influence. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is visiting the Pacific Islands from May 26 to June 4. Wang's itinerary includes visits to the Solomon Islands, Kiribati, Samoa, Fiji, Tonga, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea and East Timor. Wang is expected to discuss cooperation in infrastructure, climate change, security and health. This visit may also look for ways to establish a functioning free trade area. He is also scheduled to chair the second China-Pacific Island countries foreign ministers' meeting in Fiji. The first edition was inaugurated in 2021 by Beijing.

The small countries in the region have suddenly become a focal point in the 'game' to extend influence and power by the bigger countries. China's relations with the Solomon Islands were intensely discussed globally last month. The signing of the security deal between them has become a cause of concern for Australia, which considers this a significant threat to the existing peace and security and balance in the region.

China has been consistently increasing its inroads in the Pacific Islands. According to reports, between 2006 and 2020, Beijing extended around three billion dollars in aid to these countries. It is also their largest trading partner. During this visit, China will be proposing significant assistance in Covid relief and strengthening trade ties.

Also read: China seeks Pacific islands policing, security cooperation

However, what is most 'problematic' for the international community is the idea that Beijing wants to be involved in training and extending security relations with this region. This will call for the positioning of Chinese security personnel (military and police) on these islands. If Beijing gets actively involved in the security aspect, it could also significantly influence domestic politics and peace and security on the islands. This will also provide the Chinese navy with a critical monitoring point on the movements in the region, which worries other countries, especially Australia, New Zealand and the United States. Australia and New Zealand consider this region to be their natural sphere of influence, and the push by China shakes the balance of the equation in the region. It will provide China with an eye on the movement of the navies of Australia and New Zealand.

The Chinese media has been very assertive about arguing how the West is making China the 'villain' while Beijing's only concern has been building relationships and helping the lesser developed nations. An article in the China Daily on May 26 argued, "China has been welcomed in the region because it provides these less-developed nations with tangible support and assistance to advance their development and improve their people's well-being. That is a responsibility the developed countries should also shoulder rather than trying to coerce the countries into joining their anti-China club." An article in the Global Times argued that Beijing provides an alternative to the smaller Pacific countries. It argued, "But now these countries have found that China is a major power which is willing to treat them equally and can provide win-win cooperation and seek no control over them."

Beijing is building a domestic narrative focused on how the West is trying to 'securitise' Chinese investments and aid to the Pacific Islands countries. The Chinese media has intended to counter the narrative that it is the West and not China which is looking at this development as a potential to be the spark for the next 'Cold War'. The domestic narrative Beijing is building is where the West is again maligning good Chinese intentions of helping the countries in need.

However, when it comes to any big country showing 'concern' about the development and security of smaller nations, it is never a 'win-win' situation. Beijing piqued interest in the region and has the baggage of cutting into the diplomatic relations that Taiwan still enjoys with some of the countries in the region. These diplomatic relations provide Taiwan with some fighting ground and give its government the international legitimacy that Beijing is keen to end.

In addition to this, one cannot shake off the nagging doubt that the increasing Chinese interest may also be motivated by the intention to build a counter-narrative to the 'West' dominated ideas of Indo-Pacific and QUAD. This visit comes on the heels of the recently concluded Indo-Pacific summit in Japan. The fact that Beijing's relations with almost all the countries in the region have been deteriorating calls for a rethink and that China is involved in territorial and border disputes with most of them.

Thus, one cannot overlook the fact that Wang Yi's visit has a strong security aspect attached to it, and in the past, Beijing has been successful in wooing smaller countries with the lure of financial investments. If the countries agree to get into security cooperation with Beijing, it does give legitimacy to the idea that China is trying to build a counter security and cooperation narrative to that of the West in the region.

(Gunjan Singh is Assistant Professor at the OP Jindal Global University.)