WASHINGTON, China wants the 10 smaller Pacific nations to support a comprehensive agreement in areas ranging from security to fishing, while the United States has warned that it is a “big and important” exercise by Beijing to occupy the region. The draft agreement indicates that China wants to train police officers in the Pacific, engage with them on “traditional and non-traditional security” and increase cooperation on law enforcement.
China wants to jointly develop a maritime plan for fishing, including catching favorite tuna of the Pacific Ocean. It seeks to increase cooperation in operating the region’s Internet network and establishing cultural Confucian institutions and classrooms. China also mentioned the possibility of creating a free trade zone and a Pacific nation.
The move comes after Foreign Minister Wang Yi and a delegation of 20 strong leaders began visiting the region this week. Ned Price, a spokesman for the US State Department in Washington, on Wednesday expressed concern about China’s intentions, saying Beijing could use the proposed agreements to take advantage of the islands and destabilize the region.
“We are concerned that these agreements could be made in a hasty and non-transparent manner,” he said, warning that China has a tendency to offer “obscure, dubious agreements, including fishing, without some transparency or regional consultation.” Areas related to resource management, development, development assistance and most recently security.
Price said agreements to send Chinese security officials to these countries “could increase international tensions and raise concerns about the expansion of its internal security apparatus through Beijing in the Pacific.” Wang is traveling to the Solomon Islands, Kiribati, Samoa, Fiji, Tonga, Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea, and hopes that these countries will support the “shared development vision”.