On June 1, The new Australian foreign minister, Penny Wong, visited the Pacific island nation of Tonga and Samoa. On June 2, Wong, who was on a visit to Samoa, announced an eight-year "new partnership" with the country to tackle challenges in areas such as health and education, and pledged to build a new maritime patrol boat for it.
Wong reiterated Australia's commitment to a stronger "Pacific family" with its neighbours. This is Wong Ying-hyun's second visit to a Pacific island nation less than two weeks after becoming foreign minister, a visit just one week after his previous trip to Fiji.
Huang Yingxian's hasty itinerary coincided with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's trip to the Pacific island countries, and Fiji, Samoa and Tonga were also on china's list of visits. Previously, Australian media interpreted that this means that the new Australian government intends to "compete for influence in the Pacific region" with China.
Screenshot of Wong Young-hyun's tweet
According to a statement issued by the Australian Foreign Office, Huang Yingxian traveled to Samoa and Tonga to "renew and strengthen Australia's deep friendship and family ties (with regional countries)" and Australia "wants to make its own contribution to security in the Pacific region".
Australian media such as the Australian News Network (ABC) reported that after meeting with Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Fiame, Head of State Tuemale Alifano and other officials, Huang Yingxian ended his trip to Samoa on June 2. The visit coincided with the 60th anniversary of Samoa's independence.
Speaking at a joint news conference on the same day, Huang yingxian said that Australia and Samoa will establish an eight-year "new partnership" in which the two countries will work together to address complex challenges in health, education, gender, disability and social protection, as well as address common regional threats such as climate change. She also promised Australia would build a new maritime patrol boat for the country.
"The new Australian government has been formed. We want to invest more energy and resources in the Pacific region, to engage more closely and to listen with more respect. Huang Yingxian said at a news conference.
Samoa Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Fiame welcomed the cooperation with the Australian side and said the new patrol boats would help ensure security in the region.
Huang Yingxian met with the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Samoa and the head of state separately, pictured on Twitter
Notably, Huang Yingxian was sworn in as foreign minister for less than two weeks, her second visit to a Pacific island nation.
Just a week ago, on 26 May, Wong travelled to Fiji for her first solo trip as foreign minister. On May 28, Fiji Prime Minister Mbayimama tweeted that he had a "pleasant meeting" with Wong, but stressed that "Fiji is not anyone's backyard – we are part of the Pacific family." Our primary concern is not geopolitics, but climate change."
At the same time, many Australian media specifically mentioned that Huang Yingxian's hasty trip coincided with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's trip to the Pacific island countries, which shows that the new Australian government intends to "compete for influence in the region" with China.
From May 26 to June 4, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi was invited to pay official visits to eight countries, including Solomon Islands, Kiribati, Samoa, Fiji, Tonga, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea and Timor-Leste, conducted a "cloud visit" to the Federated States of Micronesia, held a video conference with the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of the Cook Islands and The Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Niue, and hosted the second China-Pacific Island Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Fiji.
During his visit to Samoa on May 28, Wang Yi congratulated Samoa on the 60th anniversary of its independence and affirmed the friendly exchanges between China and Samoya in the nearly half century since the establishment of diplomatic relations. The two sides attended the signing ceremony of economic, technological, cultural and other cooperation documents, exchanged views on multilateral issues, and agreed to strengthen cooperation in green development and response to climate change.
Samoa Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Fiame recently said that the many agreements signed by China and Samoya, most of which have begun a few years ago, this is a formal process, this is a normal process." Previously, media and politicians in Australia and New Zealand and other countries hyped up the latest Agreement between China and Saudi Arabia, taking advantage of conspiracy theories.
On May 30, local time, Wang Yi and Fijian Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mbeynamarama co-chaired the second China-Pacific Island Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Suva. At the meeting, Wang Yi advised some people not to be too anxious and nervous, because the common development and prosperity of China and developing countries will make the world fairer, more harmonious and more stable.
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