SCMP: China’s ‘great friendship’ with Micronesia grows warmer, leaving US with strategic headache in Pacific
* As US financial support expires in 2023, Beijing could ‘loosen the screws’ on regional alliance with lucrative development deals
* Independence vote in Micronesia’s Chuuk state in March could raise the stakes, potentially allowing China access to strategically vital waters
In China earlier this month, David Panuelo, the president of the Federated States of Micronesia, climbed the Badaling section of the Great Wall. And, according to Huang Zheng, Beijing’s ambassador to the Pacific nation, the countries’ “great friendship rose to even greater heights” during Panuelo’s visit.
Chinese investment in Micronesia reached similarly lofty levels in conjunction with Panuelo’s trip, which marked three decades of diplomatic ties and included meetings with President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang. Beijing has committed US$72 million in economic development deals, almost as much as its total investment of the previous three decades.
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WNU Editor: It is going to take more than just money for Micronesia to turn away from the U.S. and embrace China. A good percentage of its citizens work and live in the U.S..
