PACIFIC Network on Globalization (PANG) coordinator Joey Tau says China’s recent missile test reflects the increasingly contested nature of the Pacific, where major powers are competing for influence through military, security and economic partnerships.
Speaking to The Fiji Times, Mr Tau said China’s missile launch should not be viewed in isolation, but as part of a broader trend of external powers expanding their strategic footprint across the region.
He said countries such as the United States, Australia and China were all pursuing security interests in the Pacific, raising questions about who was ultimately shaping the region’s security agenda.
“The recent move by China speaks to the current context of the geopolitics in our region,” he said.
Mr Tau said PANG condemned China’s missile test, but stressed its concerns were not directed at Beijing alone. He said the organisation opposed military activities by any external country that heightened tensions or shifted the region’s priorities away from those of Pacific people.
“As a regional non-governmental organization, we condemn the actions by China, and this also extends to other external parties who have ongoing interest in the region.”
He said the growing number of defence arrangements, trade agreements and diplomatic initiatives across the Pacific suggested security cooperation was increasingly being pursued through economic and political partnerships.
According to Mr Tau, trade agreements, sports diplomacy and bilateral partnerships were no longer separate from security discussions, with many becoming pathways to deeper strategic engagement.
“The recent regional initiatives, the Nakamala Agreement in Vanuatu, the Puk Puk Treaty in Papua New Guinea, the Vuvale partnership and the Solomon Islands’ proposal for a regional compact are examples of how security considerations are becoming intertwined with other forms of cooperation.”
Mr Tau said Pacific governments needed to carefully assess these agreements to ensure they served regional interests rather than those of outside powers.
He warned that while bilateral agreements could provide economic opportunities, they also had the potential to weaken regional unity if they were driven primarily by the strategic objectives of larger countries.
“The fear is that they don’t inform and build that regional consensus to push the agenda of an external party.”
