China’s Rise in Oceania: Issues and Perspectives

This paper identifies a broad context for assessing China’s increased interest in the Pacific Islands, and examines some of the major implications for regional security, regional politics, western influence, and self determination in the region. It argues that Beijing’s policy towards the Pacific is not driven by strategic competition with the United States, as some have maintained. Nor is it reducible to a specific set of interests centered on natural resources and, especially, competition with Taiwan. Although these factors are important, China’s activities in the region are best understood as part of a much larger outreach to the developing world that is likely to endure and intensify. The paper suggests that China’s rise is generally welcomed by island leaders, and makes the case that it offers island states economic and political opportunities not available under established structures of power and influence.

中國在大洋洲的崛起：問題與展望

本文就中國對太平洋群島日益濃厚的興趣的宏觀背景進行了攷察，並探討了這對區域安全、區域政治、西方影響和區域自決的主要影響。本文認為，北京對太平洋的方針並不是基於如某些人士所說的與美國進行戰略競爭的需要，也不應被簡單地歸因於其對自然資源的一系列特定興趣，或是與臺灣的競爭需要。雖然以上的因素也很重要，中國在該區域的活動應該被理解為是其更大的、持續並不斷增強的向發達世界邁進的願望的一部分。本文認為，中國的崛起通常受到島國領導者的歡迎，並為這些島國提供了在既有權利和影響結構中不可能擁有的經濟政治機會。

Translated from English by Li Guo