Taiwan embassy in Kiribati...Kiribati opted to recognise Taiwan instead of China.

There has been much discussion in the media and the community about Cook Islands relations with China. Some of it is simply untrue. For example, on 14 September 2004, Zhang Wei, spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Wellington, wrote in the Cook Islands News: “China seeks no self-interest in the South Pacific”, “non-interference in internal affairs...is a fundamental principle underpinning China’s relations with South Pacific countries”, and “no string whatsoever” is attached to Chinese aid. All these statements are false.

All countries’ foreign relations contain some self-interest, all influence internal affairs, and all aid has strings (some visible but more hidden—sometimes in the pockets and egos of the powerful). But in recent years in the Pacific Islands, China pursues its self-interest more forcefully, interferes more in Pacific Islands internal affairs, and has more strings on its aid than any other country.

Taiwan

China’s greed to swallow Taiwan is a big factor in its aid to the Cook Islands. Sometimes the media helps that colonial ambition. The front-page article in Cook Islands News on 30 August 2004 described Taiwan as “small”. Taiwan has 24 million people—2000 times more than the Cook Islands, six times more than New Zealand, and three times more than all Pacific Islands nations put together.

That article says Taiwan is a “breakaway” from China. Taiwan is no more a “breakaway” from China than New Zealand, or Australia or Fiji are “breakaways” from Britain; or the Cook Islands a “breakaway” from New Zealand; or China a breakaway from its former colonial master, Mongolia. The difference is that China wants to grab its former colony back. One reason is that Taiwan people are much richer than those in China, better educated, freer, better off in every way. No wonder China wants to swallow it.

But an even more important reason is that allowing Taiwan to choose independence would strengthen the case for Tibet, Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia and other colonies of China that would like to be independent. The tens of millions of people of those Chinese colonies are not allowed to vote on independence and those who promote independence are killed, tortured, or locked up. As with the six million people of Hong Kong and Macao, their leaders are appointed by the Communist Party in Beijing. Why? Because China saw Russia lose its colonies as soon as the people had an honest choice in the early 1990s. So would China.

The first foreigners with power in Taiwan were the Dutch. Later, China invaded and conquered Taiwan. Taiwan was “liberated” from China by Japan in 1895. Japan provided more infrastructure, health and services to Taiwanese people in 45 years than China did in 200 years. When USA “liberated” Taiwan from the Japanese at the end of World War II in 1945, they gave it to China. Why?

The sell-out of Taiwan

During World War II Britain and USA wanted help to fight Germany and Japan. China was then under the Kuomintang government of Chiang Kai-Shek. So President Roosevelt, of USA, and Prime Minister Winston Churchill, of Britain, met Chiang Kai-Shek in Cairo in 1943. He agreed to support them if they promised to do various things for China after the war, one of which was to give it Taiwan. The people of Taiwan were neither asked nor informed.

Near the end of the war, Roosevelt and Churchill met President Stalin, of USSR (Russia), and planned to set up the United Nations. They also agreed to give China some territory on the mainland, but were careful not to include Taiwan or Tibet. When the Taiwanese found out, after the war, that they had been “given away”, they declared their independence. China sent its army and crushed the independence movement and murdered tens of thousands of Taiwanese.

When Chiang Kai-Shek and the Kuomintang army were defeated in China by Chairman Mao and the Communist army in 1949-52, Chiang Kai-Shek and his followers fled to Taiwan and took it over. Their dictatorship lasted until after Chiang Kai Shek’s death, and the first free elections in 1988. Chiang Kai Shek claimed to represent both China and Taiwan, but was the true representative of neither. Taiwan was, however, accepted in the United Nations to represent both China and Taiwan because USA would not recognise the communist government on the mainland.

Taiwan people were never asked what they would like because everyone knew they wanted independence. But they were a little pawn in a big game (like the Cook Islands is in dealing with China today).

In 1971, USA accepted the communist government in Beijing as the government of China, and they accepted China (Beijing) in the United Nations. The reason for the change was that USA wanted trade and investment with China and to influence China’s international relations.

What is the “One China Policy”?

China’s main condition of recognition of any country is that it accepts the “One China Policy”. That is the public first step. Cook Islanders will have to live with other steps already in progress.

The “One China policy” is because China is the most expansionist power in the world today. In addition to Tibet, Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, Hong Kong and Macao, China took a part of the Himalaya mountains of India in 1962. China invaded Vietnam in 1979 but was forced out. China took another chunk of Russia after the battle of the Amur River and is helping large numbers of Chinese to settle illegally in Russia to prepare for China’s next grab of the Russian territory. China has moved in on the Spratly Islands, much to the concern of the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and others. In this time of decolonisation in the world, China has been recolonising. It still is, despite its denials.

Many countries see China as a growing economic and military power and accept its terms, including the “One China Policy”—they do not care about the exploitation of China’s colonies.
China not only demands that Taiwan be brought under Beijing, it also states that if Taiwan tries to vote on the issue, China will invade and crush Taiwan again.

China has 496 missiles now targetting Taiwan and threatens to destroy it if the people dare to vote on independence. That is the biggest terrorist threat in the Pacific region today.
Getting other countries to agree to the “One China Policy” is worth billions of dollars to China. Since China is such a big trading partner, many countries are prepared to sideline Taiwan to make deals with China.

Cousins of the Cook Islanders

The indigenous people of Taiwan (who were there for 6000 years before the Chinese invaded) are Austronesian, as are the ancestors of all Polynesians. In indigenous Taiwanese languages today, the word “mata” means eye as in many Polynesian languages. The Chinese people of Taiwan mostly migrated there 200 to 300 years ago and have become a different people (like the European people of USA and Australia are different from those of Europe and don’t want to be recolonised by any European power). If Cook Islands leaders are happy to help crush their fellow Austronesians in Taiwan in order to gain some glory, ego massages, free trips and perks, and money to help their elections—one can understand that. But China’s claim to Taiwan is simple greed for power.

China creating problems in the Islands

China has a record of causing internal problems in Pacific countries. That is a long, sad story. Just in the last few months, President Anote Tong, of Kiribati (who is himself half-Chinese), complained of the government of China trying to destabilise his government. Then Prime Minister Saufatu Sopo’anga, of Tuvalu, lost a vote-of-no-confidence because, although Tuvalu recognises Taiwan, the prime minister was enticed by China on a secret fully-funded trip to Beijing without telling his cabinet. That caused disruption and a new election.

There are many other examples of Chinese interference in the internal affairs of Pacific Islands nations. More Cook Islanders will understand China’s strategy when it becomes public here—the groundwork has already been carefully laid with the probably unwitting connivance of our leaders.
We are glad the Prime Minister had a nice time in China. They do give visitors a nice time. I have been there three times, and my wife and I were once guests of the government of China for a three-week tour of China. We had a wonderful time, but we were amazed at the contrast between the lavish hospitality and respect they showed us and the contempt with which they treated their own ordinary people, so many of whom lived in terrible poverty.

China does not give everyone a nice time, only those from whom it hopes to benefit. Those who criticise or want reform are crushed. A few years before, Dr Robert Woonton was so lavishly entertained at Tiananmen Square, where unarmed Chinese people who had asked for democracy and more freedom from the ruling Communist Party were crushed under tanks and shot dead in the same by the same government. We hope Dr Woonton remembered them as he was given the glory treatment right where they were slaughtered.

China is a wonderful country with a rich culture and history, and many wonderful people. But that can be said of almost any place or people. All people have much to their credit, but some discredit too. It pays to be careful when one is being used and one’s ego is being massaged and perks provided. To do business with China is sensible, to understand China and its people better is wise, but to grovel under China, or obligate one’s people to China, is not in the best long-term interests of Cook Islanders.

Why the poorer give to richer beggars

Aid is usually given by the richer to the poorer. But Cook Islanders are much richer (and much freer, better educated, etc), than Chinese. Income per person in the Cook Islands is much higher than in China. So why do richer Cook Islanders beg from poorer Chinese, and why is the government that controls the poor Chinese so keen to give to rich Cook Islanders instead of to its own much poorer people, many of whom are starving right now? Or to poorer people elsewhere?

It is because they figure that Cook Islands politicians are easy to manipulate and that it is the cheapest vote China can buy in the 30 or so international organisations to which the Cook Islands belongs. Although the Cook Islands is the richest Forum Island country per person in the Pacific, China has given more aid per person to the Cook Islands than to any other. It is a small step in China’s strategy to dominate in the region.

If our politicians don’t understand why (or won’t admit what they know to be true because the benefits to them would reduce if they admitted it), most Cook Islanders understand. They will understand even better in a few years time. Then it will be too late.

China used to be much poorer, but improved its economy very fast by NOT accepting foreign aid, and instead by encouraging hard work, savings, initiative and self-reliance.

The Cook Islands could do the same. But it is the opposite direction from that driven by governments living by begging from outside, and pork-barrel politicking inside. China loves it. It creates another weak puppet state for them to use.

There are some very rich Chinese—they don’t give it to their poor either. The Chinese have a reputation for intelligence and wise use of money. All countries use diplomacy for their own benefit, but some are more experienced at it than others. China has 3000 years of experience at it.

China’s strategy, evident throughout the Pacific, is to concentrate first on “softening up” the political and diplomatic elite with trips and favours, then giving prominent public buildings (parliament house for Vanuatu, government buildings for Samoa, houses for the president and vice president in Micronesia, etc), then “softening up” the security forces (military, police, justice, etc) with new buildings, sports equipment, trips and training, then providing publicly popular “centre pieces”—(e.g. new sports stadiums for Fiji, Samoa, Micronesia, Kiribati, etc), and keeping media information and disinformation flowing. Along with this flows, the developments in trade and investment, the inflow of Chinese people, the takeover of local businesses (often with local political or bureaucratic “fronts”), and the positioning of political and other leverage for such time as it will be considered ripe to pluck.

Chinese people in the Pacific Islands

Thousands of Chinese people came to the islands in the early 1800s. They earned a reputation for hard work and for being good citizens. In recent years most of them migrated to Australia, New Zealand or USA. They did not go to China. Many who remained in the islands are embarrassed by the trouble being caused by some of the Chinese coming into the islands today.

Fiji’s Commissioner of Police stated publicly in 2002 that Asian (almost all Chinese) organised crime in Fiji was “out of control”. That is so in many Pacific Islands nations today. Some of the 40 brothels in Suva are Chinese controlled or bled by Chinese criminal extortion rackets.

Most smuggling of people to the islands is by Chinese criminal gangs—and there is a lot of it. It will soon include the Cook Islands. People are assured by their governments that immigration and other relations are controlled in their interests.

But the recent record shows that when cheque books are opened some politicians forget their people rather quickly.

Both Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands governments complain of many illegal Chinese immigrants. Many who do not qualify in law, and against official advice, got citizenship because the Citizenship Committee was over-ruled by political masters.

It seems that if enough dollars went into the right pockets, they could become citizens. Some were called “legal fees” or “trust funds” or “consultancy”. The number of Chinese doubled that of new citizens from all other countries put together.

The Fiji government noted that by the 1990s some 72% of new citizens were Chinese. They are not a problem as they were people who met the criteria and who were accepted legally and above board. But many more have come in other ways—mainly trans-shipped on fishing boats and dropped ashore with drugs and other illegal imports. Many Fijians worry about another situation of ethnic tension.

An audit in Guam showed that in the year 2000 it cost the government US$3.4 million (over NZ$5 million) to house Chinese who entered illegally.

Kiribati people were told by their government that the passports they sold to Chinese people cost US$15,000 each. Later they learned that they were sold for US$30,000 each. Where did the other US$15,000 from each passport go is a long, sad story.

In the 2003 elections in Kiribati, China actively supported the party of President Teburoro Tito—including Chinese diplomats travelling with ministers on electioneering trips, handing out gifts to schools and communities. He lost.

China’s ambassador to Kiribati, Ma Shuxue, used to phone the new President Anote Tong and harass him so late into the night that he had to change his phone number. When the Kiribati government recognised Taiwan, the Chinese ambassador distributed leaflets to the people denouncing the government.

Kiribati did not ask China to go, they wanted to recognise both—China for China and Taiwan for Taiwan. Taiwan agreed but China refused, but kept embassy staff in Kiribati “stirring”. President Tong said Taiwan helps Kiribati more than China, which threatens its stability.
In Tonga, there were no Chinese until the 1990s. Now they own more than 70% of the businesses formerly owned by Tongans. That will soon be so in the Cook Islands. In Tonga, ethnic tensions are rising and leading Tongans speak of a massive increase in smuggling and corruption since the Chinese came.

What other influences might we expect from the heavy dependence on China that the government is pushing?

China is among the world’s most corrupt countries. Transparency International’s 2002 study rated Bangladesh, Indonesia, Vietnam, India, Pakistan, Thailand and China (in that order) as among the world’s most corrupt nations.

Freedom is limited in China, as the massacre in Tiananmen Square illustrated. The international media organisation RSF noted in its 2003 report that China was close to worst in the world on media freedom (161st out of 166 countries studied).

The Asian Wall Street Journal in October 1996 listed 53 countries in a corruption index for the Asia-Pacific region. New Zealand had the best record, Hong Kong a good 18th place, but China 49th, fifth from last.

Ch’i (1991) claims that China’s ruling party is so corrupt that even anti-corruption drives are pretexts for more corruption.

Roman Tmetuchl, one of the most successful Palauans and a leader of the independence movement, said in 1998: “The Chinese are coming in with lots of money, and Chinese organised crime...if China succeeds in becoming the dominant power in Asia...once again the peoples of Micronesia will find themselves colonial subjects” (Petty 1998:133). This was a factor in Palau choosing to recognise Taiwan rather than China.

China will be important for a long time, but Marvin Cetron, president of Forecasting International and adviser to presidents of USA for nearly 40 years, concludes that while China will have the big growth in the short-term future, India will outstrip China within 25 years. We need to consider that too.

I have for many years recommended that Pacific Islands nations send more students, journalists and diplomats to Japan, China, Taiwan, Korea, India, etc, to learn those languages, cultures, systems of government and commerce.

These countries will be important for the Pacific Islands. Some students should be learning those languages in the islands, and islands schools should teach more about Asia.
Acharya (2004:154) wrote that in the past China believed it “was the superior center and its ruler had duties towards all other rulers as his inferiors.

“This notion of hierarchy stood in marked contrast to the European system of nation-states, equal in sovereignty and mutually independent.”

He quotes a Burmese leader saying, “It was terrible to be ruled by a Western power, but it was even more so to be ruled by an Asian power”. It is time for informed public debate about Cook Islands’ foreign relations.