CHINA AND AMERICA ARE CRASHING AN OBSCURE MEETING OF PACIFIC ISLAND NATIONS:

Sarah,

The geopolitical contest over the Pacific Ocean is heating up.  Last week I wrote about China’s squabbles with its neighbors over the South China Sea.  This week, I’ll describe the politics of the Pacific a little more generally.

 

 

The Pacific Island Forum:

The Pacific Island Forum is a meeting of 16 South Pacific countries.  Other than Australia and New Zealand, almost all of the members are small island nations.  This year, the meeting will be hosted by the Cook Islands which have a population 11,000.  To put that number in perspective, Dodger Stadium holds 55,000, five times the entire population of the country.

This year, China and the United States, who are not members, have decided to crash.  Hilary Clinton, our Secretary of State, bluntly described why: “Let’s just talk, you know, realpolitik.  We are in a competition with China.”  To accommodate Clinton’s entourage, the Cook Islands will be asking individual citizens to lend their cars to her motorcade. 

Why Are They Crashing the Party?

As China grows, it is exerting is political and military influence outwards over the Pacific.  This expansion adds to the already existing disputes.  Here are some of the current flashpoints in the Pacific:

1. South China Sea: China vs. Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei, Taiwan and the Philippines:

China claims all of the South China Sea.  The other countries in the South China Sea hate this.  America is intervening against China and providing military aid to both Vietnam and the Philippines.

2. Diaoyu/ Senkaku Islands: Japan vs. China:

Although these islands are uninhabited, they are fishing grounds that may have oil and gas.  In 1895 Japan beat China in a war and took control of the area.  China still considers the islands their territory because China discovered them.  Recently, Japanese activists planted flags on the islands.  This led to waves of violent anti-Japanese protests throughout China.  Last week, Chinese activists landed on the islands and were deported by Japanese authorities.

3. Liancourt Rocks: South Korea vs. Japan

Japan conquered a large amount of area in World War II.  After it was defeated, Japan renounced claims to much of its Asian territory.  There is a dispute as to if this group of islands is included in the renunciation.  There are also a number of competing historical claims to the islands.

4. Kuril Islands: Japan vs. Russia:

In 1855 Russia gave Japan ownership of the Southern Kuril Islands.  At the end of World War II, Russia reconquered the territory and deported its Japanese citizens.  After the war, a dispute as to who owns the islands was never diplomatically resolved and as a result Russia and Japan never signed formal peace treaty to end World War II.  Technically, Russia and Japan are still at war.

5. Competition for Influence: Everyone vs. Everyone:

Almost all major powers compete for influence in the smaller countries of Asia.  Even Australia, a seemingly peaceful country, maintains a fierce rivalry with China for influence in the islands of the South Pacific.  The two countries aggressively offer loans for everything from roads to stadiums in far flung places like Tonga and Fiji.

Given the number of reasons for political instability, both China and America feel the need to compete for influence in the Pacific Ocean.

Bottom line: I can’t believe Russia and Japan never signed a peace treaty after World War II!