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PacNet #15 – China and the South Pacific: No Cause for Panic Yet

Over the last five years China has ramped up its engagement in the South Pacific. It is now the region’s second largest trading partner and one of its largest aid donors.

These developments and some of the consequences of China’s growing presence worry some regional observers and officials. They fear Beijing is displacing the influence of the US and its allies in this vast territory, pursuing strategic ambitions, and/or locking up natural resources.