From BBC News (photo: China has Papua New Guinea and Fiji on its side in South Pacfic, via bbc.co.uk):
China’s Vice-Premier Zeng Peiyan has completed a brief tour of the South Pacific, showing how important the region is to Beijing.
China is competing with Taiwan for diplomatic recognition as well as access to vast reserves of fish, minerals and timber.But there are concerns that this fierce rivalry is unsettling and that bribes are making the region more corrupt and violent.
“The countries of the South Pacific are micro-states and many of them have weak governments, so the Taiwan-China competition often has quite destabilising effects on the small, often not-very-well-run governments,” warned Dr Malcolm Cook from the Lowy Institute for International Policy.
There were claims that Taiwanese money was used to bribe politicians during an election in the Solomon Islands last year. [Full Text]
– Also China woos the South Pacific by the Asia Times
