An update to our previous story…the 18 members of the Pacific Islands Forum have bowed to China’s demand to alter their final communique from their Nuku’olofa summit to remove a reference to Taiwan as a development partner after a tantrum by the Chinese Special Envoy to the Pacific.
Qian Bo angrily demanded that the communique that appeared on the PIF website last night be changed. It was taken down altogether during the night and a fresh version that was posted today had the reference to Taiwan deleted.
It is astonishing on a number of levels:
1/ That the Chinese should feel so emboldened to dictate to the island nations plus Australia and New Zealand who their partners should be.
2/ That the PIF members should so meekly accede to the demand without issuing a formal statement. On Thursday, the Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, said as far as Canberra was concerned, the wording in successive PIF communiques over the past three decades referring to Taiwan should remain. So much for that.
It makes a total mockery of the statement by the Chinese Ambassador to Fiji to local media yesterday that Pacific nations are free to choose their own relationships. The Chinese dragon has the entire region by the throat when its envoy can throw a tantrum and force 18 nations to alter a piece of paper to remove a reference to a development partner that has been as loyal and helpful as democratic Taiwan.
Shame.
Albo can only paternalistically lean on our senile basturd. He got nothing on Astrayia’s biggest trading partner. Albo smartly lets the Pacific minions carry the can. Otherwise he’d kick up some dust of his own, only if he had kangaroo cajones.
Let’s get the Australian tax payer to write another 1 billion dollar cheque , tax the living daylights out of the people for climate remediation and then bend over and be violated
Welcome to the new Vuvale.
Changing a few words on a communique that hardly anybody will ever read is a small price to pay for keeping the world’s second biggest power ion side.
China has done a lot for the Pacific Islands, arguably even more than Australia and New Zealand.
Let’s take Samoa for example. When Commonwealth Heads of Government delegates arrive there in a few months time for their triennial gathering they would be arriving at an airport built by the Chinese, will be driven on a highway built by the Chinese, arrive in the capital, Apia, whose main Government Buildings all have been built by the Chinese, attend their conference at the National University campus built by the Chinese, so what is all this fuss all about?
Just alter the wording and move on,
And what is China demanding in return?
The US, Australians and Europeans have been dictating policies through their so called funding over the years for their own benefit. Lets face the truth, there is no such thing as free money. They’ve benefited greatly in the Pacific over the decades.
Rabuka would have received $$$ to allow Japanese nuclear waste to be dumped in Fiji waters. We shouldn’t be surprised if he got money on the side too.
Now it’s time for the Chinese. No doubt the Chinese are big players in this global fight for supremacy. Their strength and power has just been demonstrated – and no one had the balls to argue otherwise.
If that isn’t a show of might, then what is.
One thing is certain, the policies and politics of the Pacific is always dictated by these powerhouses. The Chinese are not only competition for the “white man” but they are truly gamechangers.
Deleting references to Taiwan in the PIF communique is a small price to pay for China’s role in developing small Pacific island nations.
The limp-wristed Albo does not seem to be overly concerned; after all China has been Australia’s largest trading partner for many years now. Australia would not want to forfeit that would they?
As I had intimated earlier, at the end of the day the Pacific Island countries will vote with their feet and in their national interest as all sovereign states do. The bottom line is the $$s they are able to extract from the rich Aussies.
One kind of feels sorry for Palau, RMI and Tuvalu which still maintain diplomatic relations with ROC Taiwan. But hey the Tuvaluan PM enthusiastically embraced the Falepili and sold his soul away while his Climate Change Minister was demonstrating with the CSOs against Australia’s hypocrisy when it comes to phasing out fossil fuels.
Did it matter in the end? The PIF family has essentially showed its two fingers to these small island states which had been batting for Taipei. China will have its sway in the region thanks to countries like Fiji, Kiribati, PNG, Solomons and Tonga.
Let us face it, the CROP’s agenda is dominated by the donors which now includes Saudi Arabia. They know how to keep the PICs muted with lofty languages in the Communique which seems to be amenable to change after adequate pressure from the big powers. USA is increasing its influence through its territories elevation to observer status, something which France successfully managed and now the Forum is stymied when it comes to tangible actions in New Caledonia and West Papua.
The language on climate change in the 53rd Communique is a joke given the advocacy of civil society and the recent rhetoric of governments at regional and international fora. Using the power of regionalism and strength in numbers is an illusion and I am afraid the region failed to do justice to the strong sentiments expressed by the UNSG. The same will happen at CHOGM and life goes on.