China v the West in the Pacific

Published: June 3, 2022, 9 a.m.

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China\\u2019s foreign minister Wang Yi this week held a meeting with 10 Pacific nations aiming to reach agreement on a region-wide trade and security pact. Consensus wasn\\u2019t reached but bilateral deals \\u2013 like the one China\\u2019s already signed with Solomon Islands \\u2013 are under discussion. The United States and regional allies, led by Australia, see the idea of greater security cooperation between China and Pacific island countries as a threat to Western security. Beijing says it\\u2019s offering help in the areas of policing, infrastructure, trade and resilience from disaster. Fiji\\u2019s Prime Minister, who's one of those who hosted Mr Wang this week, called on China to increase its efforts to tackle climate change, an existential threat to many of the nations meeting this week. So, what do Pacific states want from their partnerships with China and the West? And could the Pacific quickly become a new front line in growing tensions between East and West?

Ritula Shah is joined by a panel of expert guests.\\nProducers: Paul Schuster and Ellen Otzen.

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