China, America and the conflict of alliances in the region.. Russian Izvestia: a cold war in the Pacific Ocean

Izvestia published

on the rivalry of the United States and China for influence in the South Pacific region, turning it into a new battlefield between these two superpowers.

She referred to the first summit - hosted by Washington from September 28 to 29 last year, which brought together America, Britain and Pacific island countries in order to overcome the increasing participation of the Chinese in that region of strategic importance, saying that the leaders of 14 countries in the region agreed to sign a cooperation agreement. With the United States in return for investments of millions of dollars.

Avoid taking sides

This Russian newspaper stressed that the region will be of greater importance to the US administration, according to experts, noting that despite this, the small island states will continue to evade fully siding with either Washington and Beijing, to obtain the maximum benefits from cooperation with each of the parties.

She also said that Washington had previously announced that the purpose of the meeting was to "expand and deepen cooperation on key issues such as climate change, the coronavirus pandemic, economic recovery, maritime security, environmental protection, and support for the free and open Indo-Pacific."

Reply to Chinese activity

The report believes that few experts doubt that this sudden American desire to cooperate with countries - such as Samoa, Tuvalu, Fiji, the Cook Islands, Vanuatu and Nauru - originates from the generosity of the Americans and the British, but rather was a response to activity in the region by China, which last spring signed a security agreement with one of the countries The South Pacific (Solomon Islands) in a deal whose details remained unclear to everyone except for its participants, which led to a wave of fears in America and Australia about Beijing's intentions to acquire a military base there.

At the end of May, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi went on a 10-day tour of the region, urging 10 Pacific countries to sign a joint cooperation agreement, an attempt that failed. Political ties, and Beijing's greater access to the region's natural resources, although the latter has promised the island's governments of multi-million dollar bailouts and the prospect of a fairly lucrative free trade agreement.

A summit meeting, the opening of embassies and the announcement of investments

Against the background of the failure of the Chinese, the Americans immediately decided to try their luck, as he announced the idea of ​​holding the first summit of the United States and the Pacific countries last June, right after Wang Yi returned from a tour of this region.

Indeed, last July, US Vice President Kamala Harris formally announced a “new chapter” in cooperation with Pacific countries, plans to open embassies in Kiribati and Tonga, bringing the total number of US diplomatic missions in the region to 9. Congress approves $60 million in funding for projects to help these countries with fisheries, marine protection, and climate resilience.

Washington also decided to announce investing more than $860 million in expanded aid programs for the islands, in addition to more than $1.5 billion saved over the past decade, which was considered exaggerated generosity from the US administration.

In return, according to the report, the Pacific countries agreed to sign an 11-point declaration, which included provisions to enhance cooperation with Washington in a number of areas, and one point focused on that this region should be a place where "democracy can flourish" in addition to what Condemns Russia's actions in Ukraine.

Relative victory for America

The report considers that against the background that the Pacific countries previously rejected a cooperation agreement with China, a deepening cooperation agreement can be considered a victory for the Americans, but it also considers it an exaggeration to consider that the islands of the South Pacific have from now on become an ally of Washington in the face of China, says Alexander Fofeng, a professor at the Center Asia Pacific Security Studies in Honolulu told the newspaper, "Almost all countries in the region strive for autonomy and freedom of action. As a rule, they avoid taking sides in the rivalry between the two powers, while at the same time striving to maximize the benefits of relations with all."