China is not the priority for Pacific island leaders – it’s climate change
- Leaders of countries in the region will meet in Tuvalu this month as Western-aligned nations push to curb Beijing’s growing influence there
- But the geopolitical squabble between the US and China is very much a secondary concern for low-lying nations threatened by rising sea levels
Pacific island leaders insist climate change, not China, will top the agenda when they meet in Tuvalu this month as Western-aligned nations push to curb Beijing’s growing influence in the region.
Once regarded as a sleepy backwater of the diplomatic world, the islands are now a hotbed of aid projects and charm offensives as anxiety over China’s presence grows.
Australia has labelled its campaign the Pacific Step-Up, New Zealand has the Pacific Reset and Britain the Pacific Uplift, while the United States, Japan, and France have also intensified their efforts to court the region.
But local leaders attending the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) in Tuvalu from August 13-16 are wary their concerns will be sidelined if they become pawns in a wider power struggle.
The 16-member forum mainly consists of small island nations, along with Papua New Guinea, Australia, and New Zealand.
While we are the subject of the geopolitical manoeuvring and strategies of others, the Blue Pacific collective remains focused on charting our own destiny