Sink or swim: Chinese port plans put Pacific back in play by barrett_ink
ASAU, Samoa - Early in the morning, before sunrise, low tide on the Samoan island of Savai’i reveals the remnants of an old American airstrip, washed away by decades of erosion, cyclones and tsunamis.
“The government and China came here to look at it - they offered it,” said 71-year-old Tufaga, who has the final say over land-use agreements affecting Asau. Though tiny in land mass, Pacific islands control vast swaths of resource-rich ocean called Exclusive Economic Zones, forming a formidable boundary between the Americas and Asia.
Japan has just invested billions of yen expanding Samoa’s only existing commercial port, Matautu, and is building a bridge connecting the wharf and industrial precincts. Samoa recognized China in 1976 and a strong history of migration means around one-sixth of the island nation’s 200,000 residents are of mixed Samoan and Chinese descent, according to census data.
“We have never spoken about any military thing; all we are interested in is our own wharf for ships that bring the goods in that we need and fishing vessels that might come in to take our fish overseas.” The development includes a 360m wharf for large vessels. But the number of cruise ships docking in Luganville has declined since the overhaul was completed in 2017, according to analysis of Vanuatu’s budget documents, creating an extra debt burden and no additional income.
Reuters visited two airfields on the island of Savai’i - Maota and Asau - which despite not being operational, were being maintained to stop the jungle from reclaiming the land. Chinese flags have festooned Beijing-funded infrastructure around the Pacific, an issue that triggered criticism in Samoa early this year.The founder of one of Games’ major sponsors, Shanghai-based Legend Sportswear, said China’s involvement in Samoa was purely commercial, and now more subtle.
Chinese loans account for almost 40% of Samoa’s total external debt of 1.05 billion tala making Beijing easily its single biggest creditor.
Indonesia Berita Terbaru, Indonesia Berita utama
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