Take notes from China

THE rise of China is beneficial for a developing country like PNG to maximise its national interests to fulfil Vision 2050.
It can lobby for regional power gain if its geo-politics and geo-economic strategic games are engineered well through foreign policy formulations by current or future successive governments with China.
China’s national interest expressed through its foreign policy was to attain a peaceful great power status through economic development in the international system without upsetting the “rules of the great power game unlike US and our neighbour Australia”.
This makes China to be one of the best countries in the world in her foreign policy approaches.
Her peaceful co-existence includes:

• Mutual respect for territorial integrity and state sovereignty;
• mutual non-aggression;
• non-political interference in domestic politics;
• equality and mutual benefit; and,
• Peaceful co-existence on diplomatic negotiations.

The main objective is to project and build soft power diplomacy with more concentration in developing countries to share its wealth, experiences and promote peaceful and harmonious society.
China does not intend to become a hegemony nor pursue an expansionist policy like Japan in the region or globally.
One of the main reasons in China’s peaceful rise is the role of her foreign policy in facilitating economic advancement and prosperity in developing countries.
This is good news for PNG and others in the Pacific.
The question now is: how should PNG benefit from Sino-PNG economic relation right after 2018 Apec summit?
In the late 2018 Parliament session, the Look North Foreign Policy architect – former Prime Minister and current Western Highlands Governor Paias Wingti – told O’Neill and MPs on the floor of parliament about China’s potential. He further stated that since PNG has a lot of mineral deposits, we should give one to China to develop railway systems or other key infrastructural developments in PNG to fulfil Vision 2050.
One of the important economic potential resources is energy, which can be converted into economic gains.
Our foreign policy should embrace international cooperation in foreign investment in the areas of energy innovation and development.
In addition, China can offer technical assistance in converting other potential sources of energy to promote clean energy.
The regional foreign policy can be further simplified into provincial bilateral or substate relations, which can be mutually boosted to promote economic development.
China’s model of economic development could transform the frontiers of economic development in PNG.
In the agricultural sector, PNG can learn from Chinese modern agro-engineering technology in promoting food security.
PNG’s untapped agriculture sector could be economised as part of food security through mutual cooperation.
In the higher education sector, human capital can be boosted in the frontiers of science and technology, economics and social science.
If PNG can maximise Sino-PNG economic cooperation through win-win diplomacy, she may become the next economic power in the Pacific region.

Max M Wapi
North Waghi
Jiwaka