China in the Pacific Islands: Beyond the ‘Bad Dragon’ Narrative
131tell us, count several Chinese monumental “white elephants,” “the
preferred conduit of aid-for-favours.”^38 More alarmingly, the internal
security situation of the Island states is threatened by Chinese criminal
syndicates. This may sound gravely disturbing in the absence of sound
empirical evidence, but the media discourse generously regales the public
with stories and reports featuring the ethnic Chinese crime web, the
“Chinese mafia” and gangs.^39 “Reports of murders, prostitution rackets,
drug and human smuggling, illegal immigration, money laundering,
passport fraud and other nefarious activities are plentiful.”^40
Tellingly, “there is little differentiation of Chinese actors, nor any
concrete numbers, in most reports.”^41 And yet, the Chinese in general are
finger-pointed as the cause of rising levels of crime and ethnic tensions.
Law-abiding Chinese individuals, or Chinese victims of crime
organizations, do not feature frequently. On the contrary, the assertion is
that Australia and New Zealand will have to suffer and take action against
the consequences of Chinese crime, drug trafficking, prostitution, and
illegal migration in the region. “It is these two nations whose peacekeepers
have to pick up the pieces following ethnic riots, in which ethnically
Chinese are usually the victim. And it is Australia and New Zealand
whose coastguard and border controls face the expensive battle against the
flow of narcotics, laundered money, forged documents, counterfeit goods
and illegal immigrants.”^42
Simply put, according to the Western regime of representation, China
is not a responsible and cooperative stakeholder,^43 and Beijing does not
take responsibility for the pernicious activities of its nationals.^44 In sharp
contrast, altruistic and benevolent Canberra and Wellington have to
regularly intervene to fix the problems created by “the Chinese” in the
Islands.^45 Other articles voice the position that “if China is serious about
promoting a harmonious world and being a responsible international actor,
it cannot rely on everyone else to do all the heavy lifting.”^46 The most
pessimistic commentators even maintain that China is culturally unable to
(^38) Sullivan and Renz, “Representing China in the South Pacific”, 386.
(^39) Squires, “South Pacific Islands Seen as a Soft Touch by Chinese Gangsters.”
(^40) Sullivan and Renz, “Representing China in the South Pacific”, 386-387.
(^41) Ibid.
(^42) Sydney Morning Herald, “Chinese Gangs in the Pacific Now Real Regional
Threat“, 5.
(^43) Trevett, “China's aid its own to spend, says Key.”
(^44) O’Sullivan, “Fran O'Sullivan: Chinese aid a sticking point.”
(^45) Brown, “Australian Influence in the South Pacific”, 66-78.
(^46) Hanson, “China’s support of Fiji is doing little to help ordinary Fijians”, 13.