Recently Yahoo News on-line reported the following:
China wants 10 Pacific nations to endorse sweeping
agreement
ASSOCIATED PRESS
NICK PERRY
Wed, May 25, 2022, 1:49 AM
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — China wants 10 small Pacific
nations to endorse a sweeping agreement covering everything from security to
fisheries in what one leader warns is a “game-changing” bid by Beijing to wrest
control of the region.
A draft of the agreement obtained by The Associated Press shows that China wants to train Pacific police officers, team up on “traditional and non-traditional security" and expand law enforcement cooperation.
China also wants to jointly develop a marine plan for fisheries — which would include the Pacific's lucrative tuna catch — increase cooperation on running the region's internet networks, and set up cultural Confucius Institutes and classrooms. China also mentions the possibility of setting up a free trade area with the Pacific nations.
China’s move comes as Foreign Minister Wang Yi and a 20-strong delegation begin a visit to the region this week.
Wang is visiting seven of the countries he hopes will endorse the “Common Development Vision” — the Solomon Islands, Kiribati, Samoa, Fiji, Tonga, Vanuatu, and Papua New Guinea.
Wang is also holding virtual meetings with the other three potential signatories — the Cook Islands, Niue and the Federated States of Micronesia. He is hoping the countries will endorse the pre-written agreement as part of a joint communique after a scheduled May 30 meeting in Fiji he is holding with the foreign ministers from each of the 10 countries.
But Micronesia’s President David Panuelo has written an eight-page letter to the leaders of other Pacific nations saying his nation won't be endorsing the plan and warning of dire consequences if others do.
Panuelo said in his letter, which the AP has obtained, that behind attractive words in the agreement like “equity” and “justice” are many worrying details.
Among other concerns, he said, is that the agreement opens the door for China to own and control the region's fisheries and communications infrastructure. He said China could intercept emails and listen in on phone calls.
Panuelo said in his letter that the agreement is “an intent to shift those of us with diplomatic relations with China very close to Beijing’s orbit, intrinsically tying the whole of our economies and societies to them.”
He warns the agreement would needlessly heighten geopolitical tensions and threaten regional stability.
In his letter, Panuelo said the Common Development Vision is “the single most game-changing proposed agreement in the Pacific in any of our lifetimes,” and it “threatens to bring a new Cold War era at best, and a World War at worst.”
Panuelo declined to comment on the letter or the proposed agreement.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said Wednesday he didn't know about Panuelo's letter.
“But I don’t agree at all with the argument that cooperation between China and the South Pacific island countries will trigger a new Cold War,” he said.
He said that China "has a long history of friendly relations with the South Pacific island countries" and had long provided them economic and technical assistance without any political strings attached.
Like some other countries in the Pacific, Micronesia is finding itself increasingly caught between the competing interests of Washington and Beijing.
Micronesia has close ties to the U.S. through a Compact of Free Association. But it also has what Panuelo describes in his letter as a “Great Friendship” with China that he hopes will continue despite his opposition to the agreement.
The security aspects of the agreement will be particularly troubling to many in the region and beyond, especially after China signed a separate security pact with the Solomon Islands last month.
That pact has raised fears that China could send troops to the island nation or even establish a military base there, not far from Australia. The Solomon Islands and China say there are no plans for a base.
The May 30 meeting will be the second between Wang and the Pacific islands' foreign ministers after they held a virtual meeting last October.
Among its provisions: “China will hold intermediate and high-level police training for Pacific Island countries.”
The agreement says the countries will strengthen “cooperation in the fields of traditional and non-traditional security” and will “expand law enforcement cooperation, jointly combat transnational crime, and establish a dialog mechanism on law enforcement capacity and police cooperation."
The agreement would also see the nations “expand exchanges between governments, legislatures and political parties."
The draft agreement also stipulates that the Pacific countries “firmly abide” by the one-China principle, under which Taiwan, a self-ruled island democracy, is considered by Beijing to be part of China. It would also uphold the “non-interference” principle that China often cites as a deterrent to other nations speaking out about its human rights record.
The agreement says that China and the Pacific countries would jointly formulate a marine spatial plan “to optimize the layout of the marine economy, and develop and utilize marine resources rationally, so as to promote a sustainable development of blue economy.”
China also promises more investment in the region by mobilizing private capital and encouraging "more competitive and reputable Chinese enterprises to participate in direct investment in Pacific Island countries.”
China also promised to dispatch Chinese language consultants, teachers and volunteers to the islands.
The AP has also obtained a draft of a five-year action plan that's intended to sit alongside the Common Development Vision, which outlines a number of immediate incentives that China is offering to the Pacific nations.
In the action plan, China says it will fully implement 2,500 government scholarships through 2025.
In the draft action plan, China says it will build criminal investigation laboratories as needed by the Pacific nations that can be used for fingerprint testing, forensic autopsies, and electronic forensics.
China also says it will also spend an additional $2 million and send 200 medics to the islands to help fight COVID-19 and promote health, and promises to help the countries in their efforts to combat climate change.
Translation
新西蘭威靈頓（美聯社）- 中國希望 10 個太平洋小國支持它的一項涵蓋從安全到漁業等方方面面的全面協議，一位小國領導人警告稱，這是北京為奪取該地區控制權而進行的“改變遊戲規則”的企圖。
美聯社獲得的一份協議草案顯示，中國希望培訓太平洋警察，在“傳統和非傳統安全”方面展開合作，擴大執法合作。
中國還希望共同製定一項海洋漁業計劃 - 其中包括太平洋地區利潤豐厚的金槍魚捕撈 - 加強在該地區互聯網網絡運營方面的合作，並建立文化孔子學院和課堂。中國還提到了與太平洋國家建立自由貿易區的可能性。
中國此舉正值外交部長王毅和一個由 20 人組成的代表團本週開始訪問該地區之際。
王正在訪問他希望會支持 “共同發展願景” 的七個國家 - 所羅門群島、基里巴斯、薩摩亞、斐濟、湯加、瓦努阿圖和巴布亞新幾內亞。
王還與其他三個潛在簽署國 - 庫克群島、紐埃和密克羅尼西亞聯邦舉行虛擬會議。他希望在預定的 5 月 30 日在斐濟與 10 個國家的外交部長舉行會議後，希望這些國家將批准預先寫好的書面協議，作為聯合公報的一部分。
但密克羅尼西亞總統 David Panuelo 已經給其他太平洋國家的領導人寫了一封長達八頁的信，稱他的國家不會支持該計劃，並警告如果其他國家這樣做，後果將不堪設想。
Panuelo 在美聯社獲得的信中說，協議中“公平”和“正義”等有吸引力的詞背後有許多令人擔憂的細節。
他說，其中一個擔憂，該協議為中國能擁有和控制該地區的漁業和通信基礎設施打開了大門。他又說，中國可以截到電子郵件並竊聽電話。
Panuelo 在信中說，該協議 “旨在將我們這些與中國有外交關係的人轉移到非常接近北京的軌道上，從本質上將我們的整個經濟和社會都與它們聯繫在一起。”
他警告說，該協議將不必要地加劇地緣政治緊張局勢並威脅地區穩定。
Panuelo 在信中說，共同發展願景 是 “我們有生之年在太平洋地區提出的最改變遊戲規則的單一提議協議”，它“至少有可能帶來一個新的冷戰時代，最壞的情況是一場世界大戰。”
Panuelo 拒絕對這封信或對被提出的協議發表評論。
中國外交部發言人汪文斌週三表示，他不知道Panuelo的信。
他說:“但我完全不同意中國與南太平洋島國合作將引發新冷戰的說法”。
他說，中國“與南太島國有著悠久的友好關係”，長期以來一直不附加任何政治條件地向他們提供經濟和技術援助。
與太平洋其他一些國家一樣，密克羅尼西亞發現自己越來越陷入華盛頓和北京之間相的利益互相競爭。
密克羅尼西亞通過 自由連合盟約 與美國有著密切的聯繫。但它也有 Panuelo 在信中所說的與中國的“偉大友誼”，儘管他反對該協議，但他希望這種友誼能夠繼續下去。
該協議的安全方面對該地區及以外地區的許多人來說尤其令人不安，特别是在中國上個月與所羅門群島簽署了一項單獨的安全協議之後。
該協議引發了人們的擔憂，即中國可能會向這個島國派遣軍隊，甚至在離澳大利亞不遠的地方建立軍事基地。所羅門群島和中國表示沒有建立基地的計劃。
5月30日的會晤將是王毅與太平洋島國外長繼去年10月舉行虛擬會議後的第二次會晤。
那些追踪中國在太平洋地區角色的人, 將仔細研究協議草案的措辭。
其中條款規定： “中國將為太平洋島國舉辦中高級警察培訓。”
該協議稱，兩國將加強“在傳統和非傳統安全領域的合作”，並將“擴大執法合作，共同打擊跨國犯罪，建立執法能力和警務合作對話機制”。
該協議還將使各國 “擴大政府、立法機構和政黨之間的交流”。
協議草案還規定，太平洋國家 “堅決遵守” 一個中國原則，根據這一原則，台灣這個自治的島嶼民主國家被北京視為中國的一部分。亦將會擁護中國經常引用的 “不干涉”原則，以威懾其他國家評論其人權記錄。
協議稱，中國與太平洋國家將共同製定海洋空間規劃 “優化海洋經濟佈局，合理開發利用海洋資源，促進可持續發展的藍色經濟” 。
中國還承諾通過動員私人資本, 和鼓勵 “更具競爭力和信譽良好的中國企業參與對太平洋島國的直接投資” 以增加對該地區的投資度。
中國還承諾向這些島嶼派遣漢語顧問、教師和志願者。
美聯社還獲得了一份五年行動計劃草案，該計劃旨在與 共同發展願景 並列，其中概述了中國向太平洋國家提供的一些即時獎勵措施。
在行動計劃中，中國表示到2025年將全面落實 2,500 個政府獎學金名額。
計劃草案稱: “2022年，中方將根據疫情形勢，舉辦首期太平洋島國青年外交官培訓班。” 並稱中方還將舉辦太平洋國家治理與規劃研討會。
在行動計劃草案中，中國表示將根據太平洋國家的需要建立刑事調查實驗室，可用於指紋檢測、法醫屍檢和電子取證。
中國還表示，將額外花費 200 萬美元並向這些島嶼派遣 200 名醫務人員，以幫助抗擊
COVID-19 並促進健康，並承諾幫助各國應對氣候變化。
So, China wants to
jointly develop fisheries in the aera, to increase cooperation in running the
region's internet networks, and to set up cultural Confucius Institutes and
classrooms etc. China is trying to convert these countries into Chinese
followers. China is promising a lot to these Island countries and the promises
are attractive and difficult to resist. It is flexing its money soft power in
the Pacific ocean.
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