A Chinese corporation has pledged A$1 billion (US$648.85 million) to Nauru, the Pacific Islands nation with a population of 12,000 said yesterday, as major powers including the US push for influence in the region.
The announcement comes ahead of tomorrow’s meeting of foreign ministers of the Pacific Islands Forum regional bloc and the region’s top political meeting next month.
The Solomon Islands, which hosts the annual leaders meeting and is China’s biggest ally in the region, made the surprise decision to block 21 donor countries, including China and the US, from attending after pressure from Beijing to exclude Taiwan.
Photo: AFP
The US expressed disappointment with the move, but yesterday made its own US$60 million pledge to the region under a 2022 treaty, as news of the Chinese agreement with Nauru was made public.
US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau on Monday told Pacific Islands officials in Washington that the long-promised funds would be released, the US Department of State said.
Meanwhile, Australia, the largest forum member, has sent high-level delegations to Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu for security talks.
Nauruan Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Lionel Aingimea signed the A$1 billion economic development proposal in Beijing with the China Rural Revitalization and Development Corp (國家鄉村振興發展總), a statement posted on the Nauruan government’s Web site said.
The deal, signed last week, would develop Nauru’s renewable energy, phosphate industry, fisheries, water, agriculture, transportation and health sectors, it said.
Next month’s Pacific leaders meeting would consider regional security, with Australia seeking to block China from forging further security ties in its Pacific neighborhood.
Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong (黃英賢) and Minister for Defence Richard Marles and Minister for Pacific Island Affairs Pat Conroy are today to hold security talks in Vanuatu, with Australian Broadcasting Corp reporting a deal worth A$500 million over a decade under consideration.
Marles yesterday opened the Lombrum Naval Base in Papua New Guinea, which he said was the largest security infrastructure project delivered by Australia in the Pacific.
The upgrade to the base was funded by the US and Australia.
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