Opening a new chapter in China-Pacific relations

Editor's note: Stephen Ndegwa, a special commentator for CGTN, is the executive director of South-South Dialogues, a Nairobi-based communications development think tank. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN. 

As the third China–Pacific Island Countries Foreign Ministers' Meeting unfolds this week in Xiamen, Fujian Province in China, top foreign affairs officials have an ideal opportunity to recalibrate a relationship that is rapidly evolving to one of strategic development cooperation.

The meeting affirms China's growing role as a responsive partner, whose investments in infrastructure, climate resilience, and human capital are helping Pacific nations chart a more self-reliant and sustainable future.

For more than a decade, China has expanded its presence across the Pacific, offering aid, investment, and technical expertise that have transformed infrastructure and services in the region. From 1992 to 2024, the total trade volume between China and the PICs with diplomatic relations increased from $153 million to $7.5 billion, a 49-fold increase. As of the end of 2024, China has provided over $625 million in development assistance to 11 island countries with diplomatic relations.

Roads and bridges built by Chinese firms in Papua New Guinea have connected remote communities to urban markets and slashed travel time. In Samoa, the National Medical Center Phase I, built with Chinese preferential loans, now handles a substantial share of tertiary care, reducing the need for overseas medical referrals. Across Tonga, Vanuatu, and Fiji, Chinese-supported solar power systems, sports stadiums, and school infrastructure are visible reminders of a broader engagement footprint.

What distinguishes is the alignment between Chinese-cooperation projects and the development priorities set by the Pacific nations themselves. Initiatives are moving beyond infrastructure to those that directly benefit communities. For example, the design of the new wharf in Luganville, Vanuatu has taken local weather risks into consideration. After completion, it withstood three cyclones in 2023 without sustaining damage, a testament to the growing focus on climate-resilient infrastructure. This shift mirrors a broader pivot to sustainability, a priority underscored by China's pledge to establish joint climate research stations that will blend satellite technology with traditional weather knowledge.

Climate change remains the most urgent threat to Pacific livelihoods. Though the region contributes little to global emissions, it bears the brunt of rising seas, stronger cyclones, and coral bleaching. A meaningful future partnership must scale up adaptation, not just mitigation. The proposed China-Pacific Green Development Fund will target mangrove restoration, a method through which Chinese scientists have achieved success in replanting hectares in China's coastal provinces like Hainan.

In the aspect of people to people communication, many Pacific Island students now choose to study in Chinese universities, more than half of whom are studying engineering, medicine, or agriculture. A vocational centre in Port Moresby, built through bilateral cooperation, has graduated 1,200 technicians since 2021. Such investment in human capital may prove equally transformative in the long run like any highway or harbor.

Three emerging sectors may define the next phase of the partnership. The first is digital connectivity. China's Digital Silk Road aims to bring submarine fiber-optic cables to at least three underserved Pacific nations. Second, marine biotechnology offers huge potential, with collaborative research into deep-sea compounds that could support a pharmaceutical industry in the islands. The third is disaster response where China's modular emergency hospital system, deployable in 48 hours, could revolutionize emergency health care in cyclone-prone states.

This evolving partnership challenges traditional development paradigms. Unlike conventional aid models, the China-Pacific relationship increasingly operates on multiple levels simultaneously—infrastructure, trade, technology transfer, and human capital development. While concerns about strategic competition persist, the practical benefits for Pacific development objectives are becoming harder to dismiss.

The test ahead lies in institutionalizing best practices: strengthening project evaluation mechanisms, enhancing transparency measures, and deepening policy coordination with regional organizations like the Pacific Islands Forum. As climate impacts intensify and economic pressures grow, the China-Pacific partnership may well become a case study in how middle powers and small states can collaborate on terms that respect sovereignty while addressing shared challenges.

If sustained and deepened, the China–Pacific partnership could serve as a blueprint for South–South cooperation where shared challenges like climate change, digital inequality, and sustainable growth are met with joint innovation, not dependency. This unique alliance has the potential to redefine development diplomacy by centering equity, resilience, and mutual respect in international relations.

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