China uses soft power in Pacific Islands outreach

Transcript

China is using soft diplomacy to counter fears about its growing military presence in the Pacific region.

There's been encouragement for Chinese officials and academics to speak more openly about their country's increased engagement with Pacific Island countries.

Johnny Blades reports:

Chinese naval capacity has been growing, with a focus on protecting interests in the South and East China seas. The director of the University of Hawaii's Centre for Pacific Studies, Terence Wesley-Smith, says there is nervousness among the US and it's allies about Beijing's long-term objective of  operating further into the Pacific.

TERENCE WESLEY-SMITH: The debate is would that be a priority and when would they have the capacity to do that? My own impression is that is not a priority yet. It will be some years before that capacity is available.

Beijing has signalled it wants to secure sea lanes not for military purposes, but so a flow of raw materials to and from China can continue. As part of it's efforts to grow links with island nations, Beijing has established a  1.3 billion dollar loan facility for the Pacific Islands. China's President Xi Jinping has also announced a major scholarship exchange programme for Pacific islanders, as Chinese deputy head of mission in Samoa, Yang Liu, explains.

YANG LIU: President Xi pledged a measure that we will provide two thousand scholarships and five thousand training opportunities in the coming five years.

A young Vanuatu woman, Rebecca Bogiri has just completed a five-year scholarship in Beijing.

REBECCA BOGIRI: And when these students come back to the Pacific Island countries it's also beneficial for them because their range of career options has been widened.

But despite China's efforts, many still accuse it of undermining Pacific Island countries through its relentless pursuit of resources such as fish. China state support for Chinese operators in the Pacific ocean fishery is causing problems for local fishers and the sustainability of the stocks, according to the World Wildlife Fund's Bubba Cook.

BUBBA COOK:  When you look at places like Tokelau or Tuvalu, tuna is essentially the only thing that they've got, it's the only resource, it builds their roads, it pays for their government officials, it pays for their hospitals and schools and... it's hard to see that China cares at all.

But Professor, Liu Hongzhong from the Centre for Oceanian Studies at Peking University, suggests the time has come to dispense with negative views about China in the Pacific.

LIU HONGSHONG: China is still a developing country and a lot of the general public probably didn't quite understand the Pacific Island nations and their cultures and their rather lack of knowledge about other side of the world.

She says China is learning about being a global player and gradually opening up, which will help address mistrust about China's role in the region.