Page 40 - IB April 2023

Opinion Opinion

STRENGTHENING PACIFIC REGIONALISM

FOR ROBUST GLOBALISATION

By Kaliopate Tavola eignty is founded on ‘friends to all and enemy to none’. Even
though the recently signed ‘Indo-Pacific Strategy of the United
Pacific Islands Forum leaders “renewed their collective sup- States (February 2022) provides that the US would respect
port for the ‘Leaders’ Commitments to 2050’ as articulated any geopolitical alignment determined at the national level,
in the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent when they this was put to the test when the US vehemently baulked at a
met in Nadi in February. They also “committed to progress bilateral defence agreement that Solomon Islands had signed
and nurture collective political will to deepen regionalism and with China.
solidarity in the Pacific region.” The matter is complicated by the fact that Australia, a PIF
The leaders’ collective support for the 2050 vision is unar- member, is aligned with the US. A PIF position, therefore,
guably consequential and consistent. Such a political orienta- on this sensitive issue may not be possible. There is already
tion is a critical investment to reinforcing Pacific regionalism division in PIF, as regards AUKUS and Partners for the Blue
to effectively manage and control the issues confronting it; Pacific (PBP), both off-shoots of the Indo-Pacific Strategy.
almost all of which have global reach. And notwithstanding the claim by Australia to the contrary,
The ‘Leaders’ Commitments to 2050’ can be discussed the PIF’s own Treaty of Rarotonga (1985) has been effectively
under four issues. The first is an essential building block to trashed by AUKUS.
Pacific regionalism. It states that Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Given therefore the prevailing bipolar competition between
members are essentially “large oceanic countries and territo- the US and China, PICs, in particular, are powerless to negoti-
ries… custodians of nearly 20% of the earth’s surface and we ate a reconciliation between the two. Their agency may not
place great cultural and spiritual value on our ocean and land, have the mana and the force to bring about any armistice.
as our common heritage.” That is tragic. PICs may have to turn to other agencies like
The permutation of ocean, land, cultural and spiritual the United Nations Security Council, G20 and G7. Moreover,
value, in the context of a plan with long-term expectations, they may usefully apply their respective agency to negoti-
conjures up for me, not only the critical and foundational ate corresponding contingency in the event of PICs being the
issues to be taken into account, but also the essence of indi- victims of collateral damage in bipolar skirmishes.
geneity that they represent, and which is the essential bond The third issue is management of global demands, com-
that runs through the plan’s expectations and aspirations. mercial and state-sponsored, on our ecological and natural
In Pacific Island Countries (PICs), given their relative incipi- resources. Prominent here is the region’s fisheries resources
ent development, such essence is still palpable and esteemed. and their respective management agencies. Regional fisheries
In Australia and New Zealand, developed PIF members, such agencies operate sufficiently effectively, but on global issues
essence is undergoing revitalisation. In Australia, for example, like fisheries subsidies; they have to resort to global directives
indigenous insights are slowly being integrated into the coun- as per the World Trade Organisation. On the matter of fisher-
try’s foreign policies. In return, promotion of Pacific literacy is ies subsidies, for example, there has not been much satisfac-
the country’s attempt to improve understanding of PICs, their tion by developing and least developed countries to counter
values and attributes. In New Zealand, on the other hand, the huge subsidies paid for by developed countries to their
Maoritanga is well-anchored, and it projects itself into foreign own fishing fleets. The task for Forum leaders – political and
policies through the country’s Pacific Reset/Partnering for diplomatic, is never-ending.
Resilience. As regards deep sea mining (DSM), PICs are their own
More can still be done regionally. Promotion of art, culture enemies. One or two of them have diverted from the regional
and tradition, regular visits of cultural groups can be region- stance to observe a moratorium on DSM until the science and
alised and to be well-resourced. This, clearly, is investment research are adequately completed. Fortunately, while the
to strengthen Pacific regionalism that needs to be competent, states concerned may have opted to consider DSM, or some
in order to confront its global challenges head on. This is a restricted form of DSM soonest, their respective Non-Govern-
means to mobilising peoples’ power behind regional leaders, mental Organisations and some parliamentarians are pressing
who have to front up globally on issues that matter to all. for the moratorium via the Pacific Parliamentarian Alliance on
The second issue is managing the geopolitical competition Deep Sea Mining. The peoples’ power is an asset worth invest-
impacting the region. This is not an easy matter. The promi- ing in.
nent geopolitical issue here is represented by bipolar compe- As regards Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ),
tition currently existing between the United States and China. PICs continue to negotiate the best solutions for the region
Few, if any PICs wish to make a choice between the US at the UN level. The art of negotiations by PICs diplomats can
and China. Their respective stance based on national sover- pay dividends here.

40 Islands Business, April 2023