Powerful diplomacy to play out

China and the United States are both preparing to send powerful delegations to the Pacific Islands Forum.

Observers say as China increases its influence in Asia and the Pacific, the United States is also keen to assert its presence in the region. For the first time the US is planning to send its secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, to the meeting.

The acting director of Australia’s Lowy Institute Melanesia Program, Annmaree O’Keeffe, says that is a strategic move.

”It does demonstrate very strongly and very loudly to Beijing that Washington is very involved, increasingly so in the South Pacific, in a way that we haven’t seen in a very long time,“ she said.

Australia’s parliamentary secretary for Pacific Island affairs has welcomed the United States’ increased involvement in the region.

”The more we see of the US in the Pacific the better,“ Richard Marles said.

”Indeed at the last forum, the US had a delegation of 50-strong attend the Pacific Island Forum which was easily the most significant representation by the United States at a Pacific Island forum.

”If Hillary Clinton were to come, that would increase it to another level again.“

Marles says he hopes this year’s Forum will see China agree to more aid coordination in the region.

”China’s participation in the Pacific is a fundamentally good thing, and we do see they are doing important development assistance work,“ he said.

”We would just like to see there is more cooperation between us involved in that.“

High-prestige projects funded by China, either through aid grants or soft loans, are almost everywhere to be seen in the Pacific Islands. Chinese loans have enabled Tonga to construct a new wharf, and have also helped rebuild Nuku’alofa’s central business district which was wrecked in riots in 2006.

In Samoa, the Chinese have built a new convention centre that also houses government departments.

Samoa’s Prime Minister Tuilaepa Lupesoliai Sailele says China has been extremely flexible with aid programmes.

”Building administration buildings is never approved in our development partnership with New Zealand, Australia or any other country,“ he said.

The Samoan prime minister has been scathingly critical of the US, saying: ”We’ve asked the Americans many times and you never do anything for Samoa“. ”So I’m wasting my time on you. All I can read very clearly is that you are only interested in areas where fighting, wars are fought. ”And I know why. So it will help your industries, your war machines. But you’re not interested in the Pacific because it is peaceful.“