Former Fijian diplomat and CEO in the Prime Minister’s Office, Jioji Kotobalavu believes Prime Ministers Anthony Albanese of Australia and Jacinda Ardern of New Zealand’s key area of interest while attending the Pacific Island Forum Leaders meeting this week, will be China.
He believes both leaders “have strongly indicated that they want the forum leaders to discuss the wider implications to the security of the region of China’s growing presence and influence in its dealings with individual Pacific island countries”.
Mr Kotobalavu claimed the discussion would most likely be held during the Forum Leaders Retreat, given its sensitivity. He said what may have triggered concern about China’s potential threat to the military security of the region was the signing early this year by the Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare of a bilateral security assistance agreement with China.
Under the agreement, China, at the specific request of the Solomon Island Government, would send in police personnel when needed to assist police in restoring peace and maintaining law and order.
Mr Kotobalavu said since the revelation by the media of the security cooperation agreement between the Solomon Islands and China, “there has been a flurry of visits to the region by Government leaders and senior officials of Australia, New Zealand and the United States”.
“All have come with the same mission: to convey their very serious concerns about the wider impact and consequences of such a bilateral security agreement to the security of the Pacific islands region as a whole.” Mr Kotobalavu who served as head of the regional CCOP/SOPAC, Fiji’s Ambassador to Japan and was a chief executive officer in the Prime Minister’s Office until the takeover in December 2006, now teaches international relations and diplomacy at the University of Fiji.
