Third World diplomat: We need one hundred million dollars to upgrade our infrastructure. In exchange, we will allow you to build a small airport in our country.
American diplomat: You’re crazy. We’ll give you fifty million in exchange for an airport and a naval base.
Third World diplomat: No thanks. We’ll deal with the Soviet Union. They offer a better deal.
American diplomat: Alright, a hundred million for a small airport it is.
This bargaining was known as ‘playing the Soviet card’ and was very effective in squeezing every ounce of aid out of the United States, who would do anything to prevent the spread of communist ideology. Times have changed but the methods remain the same.
The Solomon Islands and Kiribati, for starters, have recently flip-flopped their allegiance, abandoning the American camp for the Chinese one. They now accept China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea and no longer recognize Taiwan as an independent country.
Are Pacific nations playing the Chinese card, using the two remaining superpowers against each other for local gain? And why not? Even native American tribes learned to play the French and English settlers against each other in the early days of colonial settlement of North America. Only now the stakes are much higher.
China is famously pursuing an expansionist foreign policy known as One Belt, One Road and has made no secret of its intention to increase its presence in the Pacific. As reported some time ago in this column, Chinese now own more land in New Zealand than New Zealanders.
But we aren’t interested in what China is doing in this column, we are interested in ways islanders are pulling the levers of power to achieve their goals. Now we can imagine a conversation sounding something like this:
Island president: We would like full access to the internet, more roads and twenty modern fishing vessels.
American diplomat: OK, we can provide that for one hundred million, paid to us in installments.
Island president: Perhaps you didn’t understand me. The Chinese are willing to give us these things for free.
American diplomat: The Chinese don’t give anything for free. Some payback is expected, you just don’t know what it is yet. They demand that you accept their position in the South China Sea and cut ties with Taiwan, but that will not be all.
Island president: We will take our chances. Goodbye, American.
Like moving chess pieces, the superpowers maneuver and dodge until ready to strike. What will checkmate look like?
BC Cook, PhD lived on Saipan and has taught history for 20 years. He currently resides on the mainland U.S.
