By Jarvis Lee | 2025-06-30

Beijing has faced several setbacks as it courts influence with Pacific island nations.

China hosted the "China-Pacific Island Countries Foreign Ministers' Meeting" in Xiamen in late May, inviting foreign ministers and other representatives from 11 Pacific island nations as part of its efforts to expand influence in the South Pacific.

The joint statement released after the meeting reaffirmed the "One China" principle but fell short of expressing explicit support for Beijing's goal of "national reunification."

The statement, issued by China, affirmed that all participating countries "recognize that there is but one China in the world, that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory, and that the government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China."

It emphasized that China "firmly opposes 'Taiwan independence' in all forms and commits to realizing national reunification," and claimed that this position "has gained wide understanding and support at the meeting."

This year's joint statement marked a notable shift from previous years, when Taiwan was not explicitly mentioned.

"Unlike previous years, the statement devotes considerable attention to the Taiwan issue including more forceful language on national reunification," Anna Powles, an associate professor at the Center for Defense and Security Studies at Massey University in New Zealand, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation on May 29.

However, she noted that the position taken by the Pacific island countries remained "ambiguous" since they expressed only "understanding and support" and stopped short of explicitly endorsing unification.

Palau, Tuvalu and the Marshall Islands, all of which maintain diplomatic ties with Taiwan, did not attend the meeting.

While China hoped to enhance cooperation in police training and security dialogue with South Pacific nations, several participating countries appeared cautious.

China "continues to present itself as an alternative security and policing partner to Pacific island countries," Powles said.

"However it is less clear how widespread support is amongst Pacific countries with the exception of Solomon Islands and Kiribati," she said, adding that "three ministerial dialogues on policing and law enforcement have already been held without substantive region-wide outcomes so far."

Meanwhile, the Melanesian Spearhead Group, which includes Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu and Fiji, delayed adopting its first joint security strategy, Reuters reported June 26.

The strategy had reportedly considered China as a potential security partner.

Disagreements over Taiwan and member alignments complicated the talks. With Beijing courting the group and having funded its headquarters in Vanuatu, the delay raises questions about how far China's influence might extend.

Strategic value

Most South Pacific nations are small, with limited economic scale; only Papua New Guinea has a population exceeding one million.

The region holds significant strategic value for Beijing anyway.

Its waters encompass vital shipping lanes, submarine cable routes, deep-water ports and potentially resource-rich seabeds.

If conflict were to erupt between China and the United States, or between China and Australia, the South Pacific could emerge as a strategic front.

In recent years, China has actively ramped up its presence in the South Pacific.

In February, it conducted live-fire naval exercises around Australia and the Tasman Sea, demonstrating its military footprint in the region.

Simultaneously, China has pursued deeper bilateral ties in the region. For instance, in February Beijing inked a comprehensive strategic partnership with the Cook Islands -- a move that raised alarms in traditional partner countries like Australia and New Zealand.

China has also built dozens of seaports, airports and communication facilities across the South Pacific that could potentially serve as "strategic nodes" for military operations, according to an April study by Small States and the New Security Environment, an international research initiative.

Spanning roughly 3,000 miles from Papua New Guinea to Samoa -- just 40 miles from American Samoa -- these sites form a "string of pearls," or a network of key facilities.

In a future conflict, they could become strongholds in China's contest for influence with the United States and its allies, according to the report.

In an earlier Newsweek report published in April, Domingo I-Kwei Yang, the author of the study and an assistant research fellow at Taiwan's Institute for National Defense and Security Research, noted that China has leveraged overseas investments and the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) to expand military influence.

The BRI is a Chinese project to build global infrastructure enabling poor countries to export raw materials to China.

For instance, China quietly rebuilt Port Luganville in Vanuatu, including berths suited for warships.

These facilities -- whether ports, fishery stations, aviation hubs or data centers -- could become key outposts for the People's Liberation Army, extending China's strategic reach into the Pacific.

Aid diplomacy

Beyond military and infrastructure expansion, Beijing has deepened its regional footprint through BRI projects and aid diplomacy.

Over the past five years, it has lured several of Taiwan's diplomatic allies in the region to switch recognition to Beijing, including Nauru, the Solomon Islands and Kiribati.

At the latest foreign ministers' meeting, China once again relied on multilateral platforms to reinforce its regional clout.

It announced the launch of a new mechanism to support disaster management in the region, as well as a plan to promote 100 "small yet smart" projects over the next three years as part of an updated BRI framework.

It pledged to invest $2 million in clean energy and other sectors to help island nations cope with climate challenges.