*SYDNEY: *Australia and New Zealand said Tuesday they were closelymonitoring developments while downplaying a report that China wants toestablish a permanent military base on the Pacific nation of Vanuatu.
*The Sydney Morning Herald* said Beijing had approached Port Vila about thepossibility, potentially upsetting the delicate strategic balance in theregion.
China has been aggressively growing its military and pushing its footprintdeeper into the Pacific, forging closer links by showering nations withdevelopment money.
*The Herald*, citing multiple sources, said Beijing’s military ambition inVanuatu would likely be realised incrementally, possibly beginning with anaccess agreement allowing Chinese naval ships to dock routinely forrefuelling.
This arrangement could then be built on, it added, with intelligence andsecurity figures in Australia, New Zealand and the United States becomingincreasingly worried about China’s growing influence.
Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, who travelled to Vanuatu lastweekend with Britain’s Prince Charles, said she was confident of Canberra’sstrong relationship with Port Vila.
“I’m not aware of a military offer being made by China to Vanuatu,” shesaid, noting that the Vanuatu government had said to the newspaper it wasnot aware of such proposal.
While China has been investing in infrastructure around the world, to dateit has only established one military base – in Djibouti in northern Africa.
“We have very good relations with Vanuatu and I remain confident thatAustralia is Vanuatu’s strategic partner of choice,” Bishop added.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said she had read the *Herald* reportand “I can’t comment on the validity of that”.
“But what I can say is that we of course keep a watching eye on activitywithin the Pacific and that New Zealand is opposed to the militarisation ofthe Pacific generally.”
Australia’s Lowy Institute estimates China provided US$1.78 billion in aid,including concessional loans, to Pacific nations between 2006-16.
Earlier this year, Beijing lodged a formal diplomatic protest after asenior Australian minister called Chinese infrastructure projects in theregion “white elephants”.
During the spat, Australia’s International Development Minister ConcettaFierravanti-Wells said the Pacific was “full of these useless buildingswhich nobody maintains”, built by China.
She also warned that unlike loans from the World Bank and the AsianDevelopment Bank, Chinese financing had less than favourable terms.
“We don’t know what the consequences are when (Pacific nations) have to payback some of these Chinese loans,” she said.
Beijing responded that it “fully respects the will of the Pacific islands’governments and their people” and that development aid “has brought realbenefits to local people”.
China has diplomatic relationships with eight Pacific island nations — theCook Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Niue, Papua NewGuinea, Samoa, Tonga, and Vanuatu.
Six other Pacific countries recognise self-ruled Taiwan, which China seesas part of its territory. – APP/AFP