Pacific Island Countries See Australia as Preferred Partner Over China: Research

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This lack of trust-building engagement contributes to PICsโ€™ wariness regarding closer security ties with Beijing,โ€ reads the report by Edward Chan.

Pacific Island countries (PIC) welcome Beijingโ€™s contribution to their development while remaining cautious about its security presence. They continue to view Australia as their preferred security partner, according to a recent collaborative research.

The research report titled โ€œHow worried should Canberra be about Chinaโ€™s security interests in the Pacific?โ€ was produced under a joint initiative between China Matters and the Australia-China Relations Institute at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS:ACRI).

As one 2024 report noted, PICs show a clear preference for traditional partners, report author Edward Sing Yue Chan wrote.

โ€œInterviews by the author with officials in Suva [Fijiโ€™s capital] and Honiara [Solomon Islandsโ€™ capital] reaffirmed a cautious stance toward PRC security engagement,โ€ reads the paper.

Chan wrote that PICs continue to be concerned with transparency, citing an interview with a Fijian Ministry of Foreign Affairs official, who noted that they were closely watching the PRCโ€™s coastguard and maritime militia activity in the South China Sea.

Additionally, PICs and Beijing have limited trust between them, he wrote, citing a Solomon Islands officialโ€™s remark that the bilateral relationship remains relatively new.

โ€œSince we only made the switch [from diplomatic ties with Taiwan to Beijing] in 2019, we are still learning how to deal with China,โ€ the official said.

โ€œThis lack of trust-building engagement contributes to PICsโ€™ wariness regarding closer security ties with Beijing. When asked which partner they would prefer to work with, the answer is frequently unequivocal: Australia.โ€

Australia is seen as a more reliable security partner due to its longer-standing and more comprehensive relationship. In addition, Australia provides more investment, aid, and assistance programs compared with the PRC.

โ€œThe Australians have a better understanding of our needs,โ€ said a Solomon Islands Royal Police officer.

Australian diplomats in the Pacific also affirmed the strength of these ties, describing Australia as being a โ€œsolid partner of choiceโ€ and suggesting that โ€œChinaโ€™s activities did not affect Australiaโ€™s presence in the region.โ€

While Beijing prefers to engage bilaterally, many PICs express a preference for interaction through regional mechanisms, the author noted.

โ€œThis approach allows them to amplify their collective voice and align with broader efforts to rationalise regional governance structuresโ€”particularly under the ongoing Review of the Regional Architecture in the Pacific Islands Forum,โ€ he wrote.

By Cindy Li

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