A number of recent events have indicated the increased diplomatic activity of China and Japan, two leading Asian powers, with island countries located in the Pacific Ocean.

The role of Pacific countries in global political processes

From the standpoint of Euro-centric historiography, the ‘place’ of these countries turned out to be quite significant already during the ‘discovery’ of the island archipelagos of the Pacific Ocean, to which the centuries-old Franco-British geopolitical confrontation was immediately transferred. As new ‘poles’ emerged (Russian Empire, the United States, Japan), they also joined the struggle. The islands of the Pacific Ocean (with the ‘aborigines’ inhabiting them) also were not left unaffected by world wars, which these ‘poles’ unleashed twice in the last century. This is especially true for the Second World War.

As for the struggle for influence unfolding over the already independent states of the central and southern parts of the Pacific Ocean, which has been going on for the past few years, it may well be considered one of the notable signs of yet another period of deterioration of the global situation as a whole. Although the confrontation between the current ‘poles’ is still mainly taking place in the political and economic spheres, the mutual saber-rattling is becoming louder and louder.

In this regard, the frequent associations of the current global situation with the early-mid 30s of the last century are not without reason. In particular, attempts to block the expanding influence of a new global player, i.e. China, on the island states of the Pacific Ocean, are clear. They are initiated by Beijing’s main geopolitical opponent – Washington – and take the form of forming various configurations of an obviously anti-Chinese nature. For example, the creation of Partners in the Blue Pacific (PBP) in early 2023 is aimed against the PRC. It is a platform with the stated goals of ‘ensuring economic and diplomatic ties with the island nations of the Pacific Ocean’. Four ‘Anglo-Saxon’ countries (USA, Australia, UK, New Zealand) and Japan became its participants.

It is exactly the latter that the current leader of the ‘Anglo-Saxon world’ is trying to put at the forefront of the attack against the PRC in the Indo-Pacific region in general and in the waters of the Pacific Ocean in particular. What was the real reason for the concerns on the........

© New Eastern Outlook