A China-backed plan to upgrade an airstrip on Kiribati is fuelling political divisions in the tiny Pacific Island nation, with opposition figures questioning Beijing ’s intentions and the project’s purpose. The proposed revamp of the airstrip, which was used by American bombers during World War II, comes amid heightened scrutiny of Beijing’s outreach efforts to strategically located Pacific Island nations, which are entangled in a growing competition for influence between China and the US and its Pacific allies. Kiribati’s 33 islands are scattered across resource-rich waters that make up one of the world’s largest exclusive economic zones. ‘They’re a democracy’: Palau vows to resist Beijing pressure over Taiwan The Kiribati government has insisted the planned upgrade of facilities on the island of Kanton, a coral atoll located about halfway between Fiji and Hawaii, is for purely civil purposes and intended to boost transport links and tourism in the archipelago. President Taneti Maamau, who won re-election last year campaigning on closer ties with China, has said the project has yet to progress beyond a Beijing-funded feasibility study, which is on hold due to pandemic-related travel restrictions. China’s foreign ministry, in a faxed statement to This Week in Asia , said it was discussing the feasibility of upgrading the airstrip to improve transport links in the country and had become involved in the project at the request of the Kiribati government. But these explanations have not satisfied opposition politicians such as Tessie Lambourne, the leader of the main opposition party Boutokaan Kiribati Moa. “We know that China’s intention is not purely to help developing countries like ours but to help us in a way that in the end will help them with their interests,” she said. “It’s a civilian project but we are worried about the main intention of China,” said Lambourne, who worries Beijing may have military uses in mind for the facilities down the track or seek to exploit the country’s rich fishing stocks. “Why would China want to help us in this?” The narrative of China’s ‘debt-trap diplomacy’: does it stand up to scrutiny? Lambourne said she was concerned the government had not clarified how the project would be funded or whether it formed part of the Belt and Road Initiative , China’s signature cross-continental infrastructure drive, which critics have cast as a vehicle to advance Beijing’s strategic interests, leaving developing countries in debt. “If it’s something good for the country, why wouldn’t they want to share it?” she said. “If China is going to fund the construction phase of the project, we want to know if it is going to give us a loan to finance this project or give us a grant.” Maamau’s office said the infrastructure upgrade, which was first reported by Reuters, would transform Kanton into “a high-end niche tourism destination” and facilitate commercial air travel between the capital Tarawa and surrounding islands. “The Government of Kiribati remains grateful to partners who have responded to this critical infrastructure need and in particular the Government of the People’s Republic of China for extending grant support that will enable a feasibility study to be carried out in Kanton to support the long-term vision of the Government of Kiribati,” a spokesman said. The spokesman described as “disinformation” a Reuters report that said the facilities would offer a “foothold to China” against the US and its Pacific allies. James Taom, a government MP, said the project was solely for development purposes and had “nothing to do with military aspirations whatsoever as what the Western countries continue to falsely claim”. In its statement, the Chinese foreign ministry said its cooperation with Kiribati and Pacific Island countries was based on mutual benefit with assistance provided “without any political conditions”. “The cooperation between the two sides is based on mutual respect and equal consultation, with the goal of developing the economy and improving people‘s livelihoods,” it said. Kiribati, which is home to about 120,000 people, has attracted attention in recent years as the site of geopolitical rivalries playing out in the Pacific. In 2019, Maamau severed relations with Taiwan to establish ties with Beijing, resulting in a split in the ruling Tobwaan Kiribati Party. The move, which came days after the Solomon Islands switched diplomatic recognition to Beijing, drew protests from Washington, which is the self-ruled island’s biggest international supplier of arms and a major diplomatic backer despite not officially recognising Taipei. Pacific nations’ rift stokes fears of China’s chance to expand influence Four of Taiwan’s 15 remaining allies – Tuvalu, Nauru, the Marshall Islands and Palau – are Pacific Island countries. Before recognising Taiwan in 2003, Kiribati hosted a Chinese space tracking station that prompted claims of Chinese spying in the US. The proposed refurbishment on Kanton is likely to attract particular attention in Washington due to the island being located less than 3,000km from both Hawaii and Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands, which hosts a US Navy base. It’s probably too early to mark this as a sign of clear military build-up by China in the Pacific Island states Eric Shibuya, Marine Corps University Eric Shibuya, a professor of strategic studies at the Marine Corps University in Virginia, said that while such a development could provide potential military advantages in the future, it was too early to say that Beijing was planning any military build-up in the area. “The location of the airstrip relatively close – in Pacific Ocean terms – to both Hawaii and Kwajalein Atoll will be noted,” said Shibuya, adding that he was not speaking on behalf of the US military or any other government agency. “That said, the airstrip is purported to be built for tourism purposes, and the subsequent infrastructure development on the part of China will be greater indicators if there will be more viable military concerns for the US,” he said. “So, there will be some concern expressed in the US, because there always is for Chinese activity in the Pacific, but it’s probably too early to mark this as a sign of clear military build-up by China in the Pacific Island states.” Australia makes gains in Pacific as coronavirus hinders China The plans have also attracted notice in Australia , a key US ally that has long viewed Pacific Islands as part of its strategic backyard. Last week, former Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd said China’s backing of the airstrip was an example of how Canberra had “rolled out the red carpet for Beijing” through cuts to its aid budget. “All strategic infrastructure investments made by China in the Pacific will be closely monitored by Australia,” said Jonathan Pryke, director of the Pacific programme at the Sydney-based Lowy Institute. “I think we have also learned not to jump at shadows and react impulsively to every Chinese announcement in the Pacific,” he said. “Given the atoll’s proximity to Hawaii and the US Indo-Pacific Command, I think the alarm would be sounding much more loudly in the United States.” England Iuta, an opposition MP, said the details of the project would remain speculation until the government and China confirmed the refurbishment was going ahead. “No idea if it has reached bidding or contract award,” Iuta said. “People remain divided at the moment, for and against the government and PRC, and will remain so for some time.”