Commonwealth of Northern Marianas (CNMI)

Meg Taylor, left, secretary-general of the Pacific Island Forum, and Nauru's President Baron Waqa, right, attend the 'Small Islands States' meeting ahead of the Pacific Islands Forum on Nauru on Sept 3. Talks at the 18-nation Forum have focused on the threat from climate change and China's rising influence in the region. Photo: AFP / Mike Leyral

AT Finance, Australia, Beijing, China, Japan, North Korea, Northeast Asia, Oceania, Philippines, South Asia, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, World

Beijing’s great game to win over Pacific’s small island states

by Grant Newsham September 7, 2018February 18, 2020

While the South China Sea is East Asia’s strategic center stage as China expands its military presence and control over that critical seascape, Beijing is quietly and successfully upping its presence in Pacific territories that have traditionally fallen under US influence. But unlike in the South China Sea, it is not capturing influence with hard […]