A giant ‘knife-fight’ in the Pacific
“Since 2019 Chinese state-owned firms have been looking to lease a deepwater harbour in the Solomon Islands. Some of these harbours sit next to airstrips built by American sailors in the second world war. In one case, a Chinese firm told local officials that a proposed port would be used by the Chinese navy. Efforts to secure similar facilities have been knocked back in Kiribati, Samoa and Papua New Guinea.”
“Another area of Chinese influence is policing. Only three Pacific-island countries have armed forces, so joint initiatives between police forces are the main way these places can co-operate with outsiders on security. China has its own police on the ground in three Pacific countries, including Kiribati, the closest Pacific island chain to Hawaii, and Vanuatu, the closest to Australia (they are supposed to be training local police, among other tasks). In 2023 China struck an agreement to boost security for the Pacific Games, held in the Solomon Islands that year. The athletes left when the games wrapped up, but Chinese cops are still there.”