In this collection of reporting and essays, we track the rise of China’s ambitions in the South Pacific—and untangle what they mean not just for geopolitics but also for the region’s fragile island democracies and their leaders.—Chloe Hadavas
“Beijing’s intent to develop dual-use facilities or even outright military bases across the Pacific Ocean should be entirely unsurprising to U.S. policymakers,” Alexander B. Gray wrote in January. Yet China’s pursuits in the region, from the Solomon Islands deal to the recent island-hopping campaign, have continued to catch Australia and the United States flat-footed.
Last week, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi attempted a “ victory lap ” in the South Pacific. Following China’s extensive security pact with the Solomon Islands in April, he met with his counterparts from Pacific island nations in Fiji in the hope of securing new deals.
Last week, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi attempted a “victory lap” in the South Pacific. Following China’s extensive security pact with the Solomon Islands in April, he met with his counterparts from Pacific island nations in Fiji in the hope of securing new deals.
“Beijing’s intent to develop dual-use facilities or even outright military bases across the Pacific Ocean should be entirely unsurprising to U.S. policymakers,” Alexander B. Gray wrote in January. Yet China’s pursuits in the region, from the Solomon Islands deal to the recent island-hopping campaign, have continued to catch Australia and the United States flat-footed.
In this collection of reporting and essays, we track the rise of China’s ambitions in the South Pacific—and untangle what they mean not just for geopolitics but also for the region’s fragile island democracies and their leaders.—Chloe Hadavas
Why, Alexander B. Gray writes, aren’t Beijing’s ambitions in the region obvious to Washington?
China’s expansion into the South Pacific caught Australia and the United States off guard, FP’s Mary Yang and Jack Detsch write.
Tanzania, Cambodia, and the UAE are on China’s wish list—and now Kiribati, within striking distance of Hawaii, Craig Singleton writes.
The United States and Australia must work together to support Pacific states, Philip Citowicki writes.
The prime minister of a tiny group of Pacific islands has become an international power player, Grant Wyeth and Larissa Stünkel write.