Recently, Papua New Guinea (hereinafter referred to as "Papua New Guinea") publicly announced that this incident stimulated the nerves of the Chinese people, and the American and Western media such as "Voice of America" and "BBC" called it "". Many friends have complained to me:
This is not an easy question to answer. Geographically, Papua New Guinea is located in the second island chain of the Pacific Ocean, which is of great strategic significance in today's international pattern of Sino-US competition. Naturally, PNG politicians also understand this, as long as the United States can give enough benefits, then Papua New Guinea's opening of military bases for its long-term partner, the United States, can be described as "natural".
But this does not mean that China's good deeds towards Papua New Guinea have become meaningless, according to foreign media reports such as New Zealand Radio, the people of Papua New Guinea took to the streets to protest the opening of military bases for the United States by PNG politicians. China is building hospitals and schools in Papua New Guinea, while the United States is sending troops and weapons to Papua New Guinea, who is the true friend of the Papua New Guinean people, I believe that the Papua New Guinean people have a scale in their hearts.
"There is much help for those who have gained the way, but little help for those who have lost the way." Excessive force does not sustain real strength, and perhaps the people of Papua New Guinea know this better than PNG politicians.
Papua New Guinea politicians willing to be "pawns" of the United States?
According to Voice of America, the defense agreement between Papua New Guinea and the United States has been made public, showing that the US military can use the PNG military base unhindered. Under the deal, the U.S. can station troops and ships at the country's six major ports and airports, including facilities at Rumblum Naval Base on Manus Island and Port Moresby, the capital. The U.S. side has "unhindered" access to these sites, "pre-placed equipment, materiel and materials," and has access to a number of other base areas where development and construction activities are carried out.
The agreement was signed on May 22 in Washington by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and PNG Defense Minister Winn Bakri Daki. At the time, Blinken said it was "a very important moment" and "we will continue to strengthen our partnership and ensure that together we can address the challenges facing the region." For his part, Ducky said it was "a historic moment" and that "we will work with the United States to improve our capabilities and skills and ensure that we can protect our sovereignty and territory."
As the US media have said, this agreement is a key step for the United States to strengthen its military presence and influence in the South Pacific. The United States has always viewed China as its main competitor in the region and has sought to contain the PRC by establishing or strengthening security cooperation with third countries in the Indo-Pacific, particularly Pacific island nations.
So, as a country that has good relations with the United States and China, and has never "taken sides" in Sino-US competition, why did Papua New Guinea sign such a security agreement with the United States? After all, from an objective point of view, Papua New Guinea's opening of military bases for the United States has provided great convenience for the United States to contain China in the Pacific region.
I believe that the reason why PNG politicians are willing to be the "pawns" of the United States in the Pacific chess game is nothing more than "carrots and sticks". From the "carrot" side, it may be because they hope to use the support of the United States to improve their national defense capabilities and earn some "extra money" by the way. After all, Papua New Guinea is a poor and backward country, its military strength is relatively weak, the economic situation is not optimistic, the United States paid an initial amount of $45 million for its military base, which is already a lot of revenue for Papua New Guinea's finances.
From the "stick" side, it may be because Papua New Guinea is under pressure from the United States and forced to cooperate with the United States. The United States has been exerting influence on Pacific island nations, trying to woo or buy them in order to weaken China's partnership in the region. At the end of September 2022, US President Joe Biden held the first two-day Pacific Islands Summit in Washington, at which the US President of the United States. In May 2023, Biden canceled the US president's first visit to Papua New Guinea because of the so-called "federal debt ceiling" issue; At the same time, the commander of the submarine forces of the US Pacific Fleet adopted tough measures, expressed the posture. All of these incidents could put pressure on the PNG government, which eventually forced them to agree to open military bases for the United States.
The people of Papua New Guinea see China as a "benefactor"
Compared to the United States,.
In 2019, China's assistance to Papua New Guinea Fungus and Upland Rice Technology Project was launched, which aims to increase PNG's agricultural productivity and farmers' incomes. You know, according to Internet statistics, farmers in Papua New Guinea account for about 85% of the total population, so China's move has quickly been unanimously praised by ordinary people in Papua New Guinea.
In 2020, when the new crown epidemic broke out, China quickly provided Papua New Guinea with medical supplies and technical support to fight the new crown epidemic, including masks, protective clothing and testing reagents, providing the first wave of strong support for Brazil to overcome the difficulties of the epidemic.
In 2021, China donated 200,000 doses of new crown vaccine to Papua New Guinea and sent a team of medical experts to assist Papua New Guinea in vaccination work, making great contributions to the control of the new crown epidemic in Papua New Guinea.
In 2022, when the submarine cable of Papua New Guinea had problems and network communication was interrupted, China quickly sent a team to help it repair the submarine cable and restore the network communication of Papua New Guinea, and the rapid and efficient repair action was recognized by the Brazilian people.
Since the establishment of diplomatic relations with Papua New Zealand, China has sent medical teams to Papua New Guinea for 20 consecutive years, providing high-quality medical services to the local people. In addition, China has also supported the construction of Brazil's general hospital, which is one of the best hardware conditions in Papua New Guinea. In addition, China has also donated a variety of high-tech medical equipment to Papua New Guinea, making great contributions to improving the level of medical and health services in Papua New Guinea. In terms of education, China offers Papua New Guinea various forms of scholarships every year, so that Brazilian students have more opportunities to access quality educational services.
The list goes on. In short, China's down-to-earth attitude and practice in Papua New Guinea have won the praise of the people of Papua New Guinea, and most ordinary Papua New Guineans regard China as a "benefactor".
After Brazilian politicians signed an agreement with the United States on a military base, foreign media continued to hype the move as part of Washington's efforts to "contain China" in the Pacific, and the agreement immediately aroused concern among ordinary people in Papua New Guinea. For ordinary Papua New Guineans, they don't want to embarrass a well-intentioned China at all. According to the New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation, university students from all over Papua New Guinea began protesting at 6 a.m. on the day the agreement was signed, demanding that the PNG government carefully consider the military agreement with the United States and calling on the government to increase transparency. Some protesters worry that the deal will damage Papua New Guinea's long-standing good relations with China and stigmatize Papua New Guineans with "repaying virtue with grievances."
In response to the protests of the people, Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Marape could not withstand the pressure, and immediately said that he had a defense agreement with the United States. He also assured the public that "Papua New Guinea and China have healthy relations" and are important trading partners. The next day, Marape again addressed the protesters.
Looking at the overall situation, we can see that the Sino-US competition in Papua New Guinea is not a simple zero-sum game. Although the opening of military bases by the Papua New Guinean government to the United States has brought certain challenges to China, this does not mean that China's good deeds towards Papua New Guinea have become meaningless. On the contrary, China has done a lot of tangible good things in Papua New Guinea and won the respect and trust of the people of Papua New Guinea. This is the most important capital and advantage in Sino-US competition. Therefore, in its diplomatic strategy, China should continue to adhere to the concept of people-centered, cooperation-oriented, development-oriented and peace-oriented, so that the people of other countries can truly feel the benefits and benefits brought by China's cooperation.
"The world is bustling, all for profit; The world is crowded, all for the good." Politicians in Papua New Guinea cannot escape a sharp word in their actions, and the times are under the influence of the times.