China Daily Editorial
The United States is concerned. Australia is concerned. New Zealand is concerned. Even Japan has said it is concerned.
Having evinced little to no solicitude for the concerns of the Pacific island countries hitherto, the visits to Fiji, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tonga and Vanuatu by Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi have been accompanied by outpourings of concern for their plight by the four developed countries.
Their belated attentiveness is not, however, directed at the climate change predicaments of these island countries or the development challenges they face, but rather their willingness to cooperate with China to address such challenges.
Heck, each and every stop Wang makes, every topic he discusses with his hosts, and every document on bilateral cooperation he signs during his ongoing visits to these Pacific island countries produce cries of alarm from some quarter or other.
Accordingly, hectic diplomatic maneuvers, open and behind-the-scenes, are going on throughout the region by those perturbed by his trip.
It is regrettable that the Pacific island nations are now considered suspect because of the welcomes they have extended to Wang. It would be wonderful if the concern was for their people’s well-being and development needs rather than the outcome of viewing the region as a “geopolitical chessboard”.
At the end of the day, whether the Chinese outreach to the island nations will “needlessly heighten geopolitical tensions and threaten regional stability”, to borrow the words of David Panuelo, president of the Federated States of Micronesia, depends greatly on whether the concerned parties look objectively at what China is doing there.
What Wang has harvested so far on this trip has by and large been because of China’s cooperation so far and agreements on deepening bilateral development cooperation.
Despite the fact the second meeting of the foreign ministers of China and the 10 Pacific island nations didn’t endorse a broad-ranging communiqué on bilateral cooperation and a corresponding action plan, Beijing’s commitment to strengthening dialogue, enhancing mutual trust and promoting cooperation with the Pacific island countries is unwavering and long-term. As indicated by the position paper that was released just hours after the Monday meeting between Wang and his counterparts from the 10 Pacific island nations.
The pragmatic measures outlined in the position paper are tailored specifically to the development needs of the Pacific island countries.
Erroneous judgments and corrupt motives are the soil in which the concerns expressed by the anxiety-wracked quartet are rooted.
“Don’t be too anxious and don’t be too nervous, because the common development and prosperity of China and all the other developing countries will only mean the greater harmony, greater justice and greater progress of the whole world,” said Wang while addressing questions about the anxiety expressed over such cooperative initiatives.
– Courtesy of China Daily
