Former Kiribati President Anote Tong suspects a major agreement is “cooking” between Beijing and Tarawa after the country’s decision to quit the Pacific Islands Forum.

Kiribati President Taneti Maamau’s “surprise” announcement to abandon its membership from the region’s premier policy and political body at the 51st Forum Leaders’ meeting this week has heightened concerns the Micronesian nation is moving closer to China.

“I know they are cooking something with China,” Tong, who led the atoll island nation from 2003 to 2016, said.

“I think it would have started with the reopening of the Phoenix Island Protected Area.”

The Phoenix Islands Protected Area is the largest designated marine protected area in the world, spanning almost 400,000 sq km in the South Pacific Ocean, midway between Australia and Hawai’i.

Sources have told RNZ Pacific that a possible deal may include exclusive access to Chinese vessels to the Protected Area.

Tong believed the move by the Maamau government suggested that it hoped to “gain from being isolated from the region” by striking a deal directly with China.

‘Totally unexpected’
“It’s totally unexpected. I did not think it was in our nature, in our character, to do something quite so radical like that,” he said.

The Kiribati government is under financial pressure due to the economic impacts of covid-19 and the current drought.

“I know that the government is in a serious problem with the escalating budget which is not sustainable,” Tong said.

He said it should not come as a surprise if the government was talking about a deal directly with the Chinese about the Phoenix Islands.

“I have seen expressions in the past in which the president [Maamau] confirmed China was going to assist in the development of Canton Islands … a former US military base and it was in closer proximity to Hawaii. So, we are very strategically located,” he said.

“It is the reason why Kiribati may have withdrawn from the Pacific Island Forum.”

Blamed on China
Meanwhile, Kiribati’s opposition leader Tessie Lambourne is blaming Kiribati’s decision to withdraw from the Forum on pressure exerted by China.

The former diplomat told The Guardian she was “shocked and extremely disappointed” by the government’s move.

Lambourne said she believed the decision was influenced by China, and that the Maamau administration was weak, vulnerable and greatly indebted to Beijing.

She said someone seemed to be telling the Kiribati government that the country did not need regional solidarity.

“I’m embarrassed because what we are saying is that we are not in the fold … we are outside,” she told The Guardian.

“And why are we outside? I think it’s us who keep ourselves out … because we are not engaged or engaging.”

China brushes off claims
China, however, has denied allegations that it has anything to do Kiribati’s decision, saying it “does not interfere in the internal affairs of Pacific Islands countries”.

Kiribati said it did not feel its concerns over the leadership rift had been listened to following the special meeting hosted by the forum chair Fiji in June, and as a consequence it had no other alternative but to leave.

Federated States of Micronesia President David Panuelo said that while it was not known if China was exerting its influence to force Kiribati out of the forum “we hope to find out soon”.

Panuelo said there was a lot of work put into the Suva Agreement to achieve a reform package which would see that the forum was “much strengthened”.

“Our aim is to open the doors and continue to invite Kiribati because when one member is not on board, it is not quite over yet,” he said.

Tong said he “completely disagrees” with Maamau’s reasoning.

“I am not so sure that it really provides the justification for the kind of reaction to just withdraw like that,” he said.

“There should have been a lot of room to manoeuvre the discussions in Suva. There is so much at stake in losing membership of the forum. I cannot imagine how Kiribati would win by having taken that step.”

Tong also raised concerns about the recent visit by China’s foreign minister to Tarawa.

“The Chinese foreign minister went through here for a few hours last month and there was a deal signed,” he said.

“Nobody knows what that deal is. And so that is maybe part of the whole process.”

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is to visit Kiribati on Friday for four hours as part of a Pacific tour to strengthen security ties in the region.

It is the first top level bilateral meeting between the two countries since Kiribati switched allegiance to China from Taiwan in 2019.

Concern is mounting over a potential security deal following the PRC’s recent controversial agreement with Solomon Islands which allows it to have military presence in the island nation if requested.

Speaking to 1News, Kiribati Opposition leader Tessie Eria Lambourne said she was “gravely concerned” about any potential security arrangement as she believed it would involve the militarisation of one of its atolls, Kanton Island, and Chinese control over the area.

“Our rich marine territory in the Phoenix Islands Protected Area (PIPA) will be under China’s control for sure,” she said.

The area is valuable for its geo-strategic location, including proximity to United States military installations, along with its rich fisheries resources.

Last year, 1News revealed how the Kiribati government was ditching PIPA, a marine reserve and World Heritage site to open up to commercial fishing in a move believed to have been driven by Beijing.

China funding feasibility study
China is also funding a feasibility study to upgrade the runway and causeway on Kanton Island which has raised alarm in the US and Australia.

Friday’s bilateral meeting which is expected to include discussions about the Kanton Island development was announced late on Tuesday.

A Facebook post from President Taneti Maamau’s office said the high-level state visit was “an important milestone for Kiribati-Chinese relations, as it will strengthen and promote partnership and cooperation between our two countries”.

An exemption is being made for the delegation as Kiribati borders remain closed as a covid-19 safety measure.

While the group will undergo PCR testing when they arrive at the airport, Lambourne said the visit demonstrated the influence the superpower had there.

“Since the lockdown there have been exemptions extended to Chinese nationals who have been coming in and going out of our country without restrictions while our seafarers and other nationals had to wait more than three years to be repatriated,” she said.

“Our democratic system, in fact our very sovereignty , is under attack and we need support to ensure our survival as a democratic nation.”

Delegation arriving in Honiara tonight
The Chinese delegation is expected to arrive in Solomon Islands tonight and meet with the government on Thursday. The group will also be visiting Fiji on Sunday and Monday and Papua New Guinea next week.

Speaking to media from New York today, Jacinda Ardern said it was no surprise Yi was set to visit a number of Pacific countries.

Asked if it was a concern, Ardern said: “We’re very firm that yes of course we want collaboration in areas where we have shared concerns.

“Issues like climate mitigation and adaptation, we want quality investment and infrastructure in our region.

“We don’t want militarisation, we don’t want an escalation of tension, we want peace and stability so we will remain firm on those values.”

Republished with permission.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz