Western officials make a beeline for Indo-Pacific to counter China’s influence
- French President Emmanuel Macron and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken are just two of the top figures who have spent the week touring island nations
- Macron warns French territory New Caledonia that independence might mean ‘that tomorrow you’ll decide to have a Chinese base here … That’s no independence’
A major diplomatic counteroffensive against Beijing’s influence in the Indo-Pacific is fully under way, and there’s no better sign than Western leaders visiting the region’s once-neglected islands – all at once.
The most prominent figures island-hopping this week include French President Emmanuel Macron and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. And US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin also travelled to Papua New Guinea, while Britain’s Armed Forces Minister James Heappey stopped in Fiji.
Creating the most buzz among the Western guests is Macron, who during a visit to the nickel-rich French overseas territory of New Caledonia warned of “Chinese naval bases tomorrow” if the strategically located archipelago gained independence.
“If independence means that tomorrow you’ll decide to have a Chinese base here, or to be dependent on another maritime fleet, good luck with that – that’s no independence,” he said on Wednesday in Noumea, the New Caledonian capital.
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US pledges support to Pacific Islands, rivalling China’s influence
He called on pro-independence indigenous Kanaks to accept the pro-France third and final self-determination referendum of 2021. The Kanaks boycotted that vote and the negotiations on the territory’s status under France remain deadlocked.