CHINA’S support for infrastructure projects in the Pacific could provide future military access for Beijing, senior members of a United States congressional advisory commission have warned in an exclusive interview with Fox News.
The senior members of the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission said runways, ports and other facilities financed by the People’s Republic of China were often “dual use” and part of a broader strategic pattern that blends economic investment with long-term security objectives.
But they made no mention of facilities across the Pacific which can be used by US forces to position themselves against a Chinese threat.
“When you see a broader trend of militarization of the region… you see a lot of activities that suggest there are at least some security and military-related interests involved,” Commission chair Randall Schriver said.
“Even if it’s declared for civilian use… it is by its very character dual-use and could be used for military purposes.”
Schriver warned that China’s investments in the Pacific should not be viewed in isolation.
“We know that China is very ambitious. We know that even civilian infrastructure projects often have strings attached,” he said. “In many instances, those involve access for the Chinese military.”
Commission Vice Chair Michael Kuiken said Beijing frequently pairs infrastructure financing with financial leverage.
“There’s a cycle of debt diplomacy here,” Kuiken said. “China loads these islands up with debt and then uses their position of weakness to gain access… to build runways, to do things with respect to ports.”
“It’s a cycle that we see over and over again,” he added, calling it “a flywheel of debt diplomacy. There’s a vicious rinse-and-repeat cycle here. And whether it’s Taiwan, Palau, Micronesia or the Solomon Islands, it is a playbook that the Chinese go back to every time.”
Schriver acknowledged Washington was slow to recognise the security implications of China’s expansion in the region.
“In a word, yes,” he said when asked whether the US reacted too slowly.
He noted the timing coincided with major US military investments in Guam, even as Chinese projects advanced nearby.
“While this was happening, the Chinese were making inroads in the Pacific Islands… with great proximity to Guam,” he said, describing the island as central to US logistics and combat operations.
Asked what would signal a shift from civilian infrastructure to operational military use, Schriver said some warning indicators are already visible.
“The practice of undersea cable cutting… has been very provocative,” he said, describing it as activity that could be tied to military contingencies.
He also warned that visible deployments of Chinese military aircraft to Pacific facilities would mark a major escalation, citing a pattern previously seen in the South China Sea.
“We’ve seen a particular pattern that wouldn’t surprise us at all to see in other parts of Oceania,” Schriver said.
Kuiken urged lawmakers to increase scrutiny and transparency.
“The thing members can do most easily is just ask the intelligence community for imagery and for intelligence reports… raise the alarm, shine a light on it and expose the activities,” he said.
Kuiken also revealed a future hearing focused on undersea infrastructure and security risks in the region.
“Data is the lifeblood of the global economy these days,” he said. “Those cables are a vital source of information… and those are really quite aggressive actions and need to be exposed.”
The commission has proposed a broader US response, including increased Coast Guard cooperation and expanded support for Pacific Island nations to strengthen resilience against security threats and economic pressure.
Schriver referenced a “Pacific Island Security Initiative” recommendation aimed at combining economic, law enforcement and defence engagement.
Kuiken described the approach as “a layered cake.” “We want there to be a civilian aspect… a law enforcement piece… and a military piece,” he said.
“You sort of need to do all of them in order to really be effective and really to combat the influence of the Chinese in this space,” said Kuiken.
Source: Fox and Pacnews