STUFF & TALAIA MIKA Samoa and China have been building ties for a long time, but whether the relationship is beneficial depends on who you ask. China's surge into the Pacific region is winning it friends and influence. That has consequences for traditional alliances. National Correspondent Lucy Craymer examines the diplomatic tug-of-war in the third of a new five-part series, Pawns of the Pacific. When the United Nations Human Rights Council convened last year, the Canadian ambassador to the UN took to the podium to present a statement signed by 44 nations – including the US, the UK, Australia and New Zealand. It voiced concern about “reports of torture or cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment,” by China against the Uyghur ethnic minority. Never one to be outdone, Beijing's representatives followed up with a rebuttal – a statement signed by a total of 69 countrie s – essentially parroting Chinese talking points about not interfering in other nations' business. Among those 69 signatories: the Pacific nations of Tonga, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Kiribati. For decades, New Zealand and its partners dominated relationships in the Pacific. They built embassies, provided aid and had reciprocal visits with government politicians…. Read full this story
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