US vows to back Pacific islands after rejected deal

WASHINGTON, D.C, June 2 ------ The United States promised to support Pacific nations after they rejected a pact with China, saying Beijing's own actions showed how "opaque" its offers were.

In a major diplomatic setback for Beijing, 10 Pacific island states on May 30 rebuffed a proposal that would have pulled them into China's orbit. US State Department spokesman Ned Price reiterated that the US, like Australia, had made clear its concerns that China had offered a "shadowy" deal with regional consultations. In keeping with Secretary of State Antony Blinken's tone on America's rivalry with China, the spokesman did not gloat and said the Pacific islands made their "own sovereign decisions." "We are committed to continue deepening our relationship with our Pacific Island partners and in the Indo-Pacific, including working together to deliver for our people," Price told reporters.

He highlighted concerns raised by journalists in Fiji, Samoa and the Solomon Islands who covered the visit of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, including a refusal to permit questions. "When we talk about these opaque, shadowy deals, I think you need only look at...the PRC's efforts to obscure these very deals," Price said, referring to the People's Republic of China. Beijing attempted to "even go so far as to prevent officials in the region from facing reporters in their own countries," he said. China had proposed a pact that would include expanded training of Pacific islands' police, conducting sensitive marine mapping and gaining greater access to natural resources. In return, Beijing would offer millions of dollars in financial assistance and the prospect of a free trade agreement to China's market, the world's largest at 1.4 billion people.

In a recent letter to fellow leaders, David Panuelo, president of the Federated States of Micronesia, warned the offer was "disingenuous" and would "ensure Chinese influence in government" and "economic control" of key industries. Price's comments came before Wang arrived in Vanuatu on for talks as he continued his regional island-hopping tour. While he failed to secure consensus on the sweeping deal during talks with Pacific Island leaders in Fiji earlier this week, he has been notching up smaller wins by signing bilateral agreements with many of the countries he had visited. One of them is Tonga, whose premier, Siaosi Sovaleni, signed deals with the Chinese minister on everything from disaster management to a royal tomb improvement project. Meanwhile, Australia's new Foreign Minister Penny Wong is traveling to Samoa and Tonga, announcing that she was getting back on a plane to "renew and strengthen Australia's deep ties of friendship and family."

Source: manilatimes.net