China has not reached a general agreement with the Pacific island nations

The conference was chaired by Mr. Wang and Fijian Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama and attended by representatives of Samoa, Tonga, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Niue and Vanuatu. Before the conference, the President of China Xi Jinping sends a message that the country will be a “good brother” to the region and that they share a “common fate”, according to CCTV.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at a conference with leaders and foreign ministers of Pacific island nations reuters

Initially, the meeting was intended to discuss sharply increasing China’s participation in security, economy and politics in the South Pacific. However, this effort seems to have not been enough, as some leaders in the region expressed deep concern about the deal with Vietnam. China. “As usual, we put consensus first,” Fiji Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama said after the conference, hinting that a broad consensus was needed before signing any “new agreement in the region” area”. In a recent letter to regional leaders, Micronesian President David Panuelo warned that the proposed deal was “insincere” and would “ensure China’s influence in government” and “economic control“key industries.

After the meeting, Mr. Wang said that the countries had agreed on five areas of cooperation, but further discussions were needed to reach further consensus. Among these areas is the post-pandemic economic recovery Covid-19 and building new centers for agriculture, disaster response, but not security.