Ted Yoho (R-FL), who joined the event toward the end, described the Pacific Islands region as critical for the United States. He said it is, therefore, important for the United States to not just engage the Pacific Islands, but understand their needs and ask how it can help. ally like Australia, which counts China as its largest trading partner, is large enough to “walk that tightrope” between the United States and China, it is “a lot more difficult for a small country that has very, very limited resources to do that,” said Case.
“If we are going to ignore their needs for infrastructure and economic development … and China offers that, then that puts them to a terrible choice,” said Case. However, they may be forced to rely on an economic lifeline from an autocratic China as a result of U.S. He believes these nations would prefer to have partnerships with the United States and its democratic friends and allies, with which they share democratic values. This expansion of influence does not come “out of any sense of humanitarian concern for the Pacific Islands,” Case contended, adding that he thinks it comes “out of a sense of competition with the United States.” A ‘Terrible Position’Ĭhina’s interest in the Pacific Islands puts the countries in the region in “a terrible position,” said Case. Noting that China is using every tool in its toolkit to expand its influence, Case said: “China is directly interested in expanding its power and influence and, I would submit, creating dependence in the Pacific Islands.” The Pacific Islands region-a vast expanse that stretches from Easter Island in the east to Hawaii in the north to New Caledonia and Palau in the west to Tonga in the south-are very much in China’s sights. Institute of Peace-hosted Bipartisan Congressional Dialogue. This would be “detrimental, not only to the Pacific Islands, but to our national defense and to our allies as well,” he warned while speaking at a U.S. Ed Case (D-HI) predicts Beijing will use a similar model in the Pacific Islands. Just as in the South China Sea, where China has sought to control one of the world’s busiest sea lanes, U.S. In many parts of the Solomon Islands the land has disappeared, drowned by heaving currents and rising seas. A man unloads farmed seaweed onto a drying dock in Beniamina Island, part of the Solomon Islands, June 5, 2018.
China’s growing footprint in the region also brings a strategic challenge to the United States’ doorstep at a time when the U.S.-China relationship is under considerable strain. As the economies of the Pacific Islands countries reel in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, Chinese loans and aid are likely to become even more important in the coming months. As part of its bid to expand its influence across the world, China is emerging as an important diplomatic and economic partner for the small and far-flung Pacific Islands countries, but its engagement comes with challenges.
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