US-Pacific relations need revamping

LISTENING to a media briefing by the United States Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, Daniel Kritenbrink on April 26 on his trip through the Pacific which involved stop-overs and meetings in Fiji, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, we form the distinct impression that the US Indo-Pacific Strategy needs to evolve from dialogue to a more concrete footing.
It is quite clear from the briefings with journalists around the region that the Indo-Pacific Strategy is still at the talking stage while China’s aggressive China’s Belt and Road initiative is sealing deals with governments in the region.
On the PNG stop, Kritenbrink said: “In Papua New Guinea, we had a productive meeting with the defence secretary and the chief of the armed forces about our expanding security cooperation, followed by an inspirational women leaders’ roundtable discussion about the particular challenges that women face when seeking to overcome barriers to political and economic participation.
“Finally, during our constructive meeting with Prime Minister Marape, we discussed in depth the upcoming opportunities from the joint implementation of the US Strategy to Prevent Conflict and Promote Stability, and we also talked about a range of other ways to expand our growing partnership with Papua New Guinea.
“The delegation left Papua New Guinea energised about all of the ways that the US and PNG can, again, continue strengthening our relationship.”
Pacific Islanders need to see commitment rather than hear of partnerships for prosperity, peace and security from countries like the US, Australia, England and New Zealand which are established and traditional allies.
The two world wars have established those enduring ties but for many it would seem the relationships have hardly moved from those years.
They did not get the support that the two aggressors, Germany and Japan, got under the Marshall Plan after World War II in 1947 to rebuild their torn homes, industries and economies.
So when our old allies come a-asking, we will welcome them and talk nicely to them but we will ask in our turn: What is in this for us?
That should start with moving beyond “regular and extensive consultations” to more regular and extensive military and economic support. The consultations stage was when Mike Pence, then US vice -president, announced the Indo-Pacific Strategy at the Apec Summit in Port Moresby in 2018.
Chinese President Xi Jinping announced his Road and Belt Initiative as well.
At the same summit, it was agreed that a US Naval base would be established at Lombrum on Manus.
The US joined four nations in a pledge to provide electricity to 70 per cent of PNG.
A planned programme of increased military assistance was hatched.
That was four years ago and so when Kritenbrink parried questions on the Lombrum base and was non-committal about including Pacific Island nations in the economic package being broached under the Indo-Pacific strategy, it did not send good public signals, whatever the closed-door government to government discussions are at present.
It is apparent that the Chinese move to establish a military presence in the Solomon Islands is a direct reaction to the Manus naval base proposal.
It has cemented its presence in SI by building the 10,000 seat stadium for the 2023 Pacific Games.
China’s Road and Belt Initiative, broached in 2017 is yet infantile.
The Pacific Islands are not a Road and Belt Initiative priority as yet.
China is concentrating more on its Central Asia neighbours and countries such as Pakistan, Cambodia and Myanmar.
That it will reach out is beyond question but before it does so seriously, it was best that serious action needs to be taken by Pacific Island countries and their traditional allies.
The relationships do need serious revamping.