Is everything a game?, US high-ranking officials continue to run to the South Pacific, claiming to be Pacific island countries, strategic aid, US side, China, South Pacific, and the United States
On July 26, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken attended the opening ceremony of the new U.S. Embassy in Tonga. This is the first time an embassy has been opened between the United States and Canada 51 years after the establishment of diplomatic relations. On the same day, US Secretary of Defense Austin visited Papua New Guinea. Subsequently, they will meet in Australia to hold the annual "2+2" talks with the Australian side.
Strictly speaking, this trip is a visit by two senior US officials to South Pacific countries, but to some extent, it is also a continuation of the US's efforts to strengthen its influence in the South Pacific. In the past two years, driven by the so-called "Indo Pacific strategy", the United States has been vigorously advancing into the South Pacific region.
In 2023, the United States reopened its embassies in the Solomon Islands, which had been closed for 30 years, and established new embassies in Tonga and Vanuatu. The United States is also in negotiations with three South Pacific countries that have signed free association agreements - the Federated States of Micronesia, Palau, and the Marshall Islands - to renew their contracts, and has promised to provide them with $7.1 billion in aid over 20 years. In addition, Biden invited Pacific Island leaders to Washington in September last year to hold the first United States Pacific Island Summit.
This kind of heat wave performance was unimaginable decades ago. After World War II, the United States used the South Pacific region as a nuclear weapons testing ground and a nuclear waste disposal site, seriously damaging the lives, health, and ecological environment of the local people. After the end of the Cold War, the United States believed that the South Pacific region had lost its strategic value and began to significantly reduce economic aid, close embassies, and withdraw volunteers. The relationship between the United States and South Pacific countries has entered a state of dormancy.
When did the situation start to change?Taking the Solomon Islands as an example, since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries in 2019, mutually beneficial cooperation has developed rapidly. In 2022, the bilateral trade volume between the two countries reached 498 million US dollars. Currently, exports to China account for two-thirds of the total exports of the Solomon Islands.
The mutually beneficial cooperation between China and South Pacific Island has brought tangible benefits to the local people, but has triggered strategic anxiety in the United States. Under the zero sum game mentality, the United States changed its previous arrogance and disregard, sent high-ranking officials to visit frequently, promised huge aid, and suddenly became enthusiastic about the South Pacific countries.
As the saying goes, if something goes wrong, there will always be demons. The United States' series of operations in the South Pacific region are fierce and intense, and the actual purpose is clearly visible to the outside world. The Washington Post pointed out that the United States is using its presence in the Pacific region to respond to China's increasing attractiveness. Analysis also suggests that the United States wants to exclude and suppress China's presence and interests in the South Pacific region, obstruct and undermine mutually beneficial cooperation between China and South Pacific countries.
The performance of the US high-ranking officials during their visit to South Pacific seems to confirm this judgment. On the 26th, Antony Blinken held talks with Prime Minister Sovaleni of Tonga. At the joint press conference, he also mentioned China, claiming that as China's participation in the Asia Pacific region continues to increase, "some behaviors are becoming increasingly problematic.". Sovaleni immediately stated that the relationship between Tonga and China is currently focused on development issues such as infrastructure, and there is no concern about Tonga's relationship with China.
At the same time, the visit of US Defense Secretary Austin to Papua New Guinea mainly focuses on strengthening and deepening defense cooperation. At present, the United States has a military base on Manus Island in Papua New Guinea. The US hopes to renew the Free Association Agreement to ensure military privileges in the relevant South Pacific countries. Some analysts believe that the United States is militarizing the South Pacific region and wants to build the South Pacific Island country into a strategic pivot to contain China in the southern hemisphere.
Some studies have pointed out that the so-called "aid" from Western countries to South Pacific countries is mainly used for institutional construction, that is, transplanting and imposing Western political systems locally. This kind of assistance serves the strategic goals of the United States and the West, completely lacking sincerity in promoting local economic development and improving people's well-being.
The Pacific is a sea of peace and cooperation. China welcomes all cooperative efforts that are conducive to the development of South Pacific countries. But the US's strong promotion of the so-called "Indo Pacific strategy" has filled the beautiful Pacific with a smell of gunpowder. The US fabricated the so-called "China threat theory" in an attempt to force South Pacific countries to act according to their strategic intentions, but it underestimated their determination to adhere to independent and independent development. As Solomon Islands Prime Minister Sogavare said, nothing can stop mutually beneficial and friendly cooperation with China.
