Why is everyone talking about China in the Pacific all of a sudden?
China’s ambitions in the Pacific first attracted renewed attention back in March, when news leaked of a draft security agreement that would grant Chinese military and police significant access to Solomon Islands. The news surprised Australia and New Zealand, the Solomon’s traditional security partners, as well as other Pacific nations and the US. This week – as Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi embarked on a 10-day visit to the Pacific taking in eight countries – news broke that Beijing was seeking to secure a sweeping economic security deal with 10 countries that would mean a dramatic expansion of its influence in the region.
