China in the Pacific Islands: Beyond the ‘Bad Dragon’ Narrative
139Actually, the “gifts from the bad dragon” argument is not only
hypocritical, but also counterproductive. In fact, it appears that the more
these concerns about China are reiterated by Western interlocutors and
media, the more they are perceived by recipient communities as
scaremongering by Western donors trying to maintain their own influence
over their post-colonial backyard.^97
Trade and investment
The PRC’s trade with the Pacific Islands region has increased by a ratio of
seven over the last decade. China’s trade with Papua New Guinea alone
increased ten times between 2001 and 2011 to US$1.265 billion.^98 This
might sound impressive, but China’s trade with other regions of the world
has grown by bigger volumes over the same period; for example, China’s
trade with the African continent increased by a ratio of fifteen–from
US$10.6 billion in 2000 to US$160 billion in 2011.^99 Booming trade with
China was significantly aided by Beijing’s accession into the World Trade
Organization, which inaugurated a policy of rapid economic globalism for
China. But even as China has become the South Pacific’s second largest
bilateral trading partner, Australia still enjoys a considerable lead.
According to ANZ Bank statistics, China’s total exports to the Pacific in
2011 were US$897 million, well behind Australia’s US$2.6 billion and
Singapore’s US$1.98 billion. The Pacific’s exports to China in 2011
reached a sum of US$1.17 billion, while the region’s exports to Australia
in 2011 reached US$4.14 billion.^100 The European Union was the second
biggest export market for the Pacific Islands, with exports estimated at
US$1.54 billion.^101 The increase in exports from Asian states such as
Singapore, the PRC, and Malaysia to the Pacific Islands region has been
even higher than the rise in exports from Australia, epitomizing the
growing importance of Asian partners to Pacific Island economies.
“Chinese companies and investors in the Pacific Islands, mostly from
provincial centres in China, have expanded beyond their traditional small
(^97) ABC Radio Australia, “China a better Pacific friend than US: Samoan PM.”
(^98) Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Papua New Guinea, “Remarks by
H. E. Ambassador Qiu Bohua at the Reception Marking the 63rd Anniversary of
the Founding of the People's Republic of China”.
(^99) Smith, “China's booming trade with Africa helps tone its diplomatic muscle.”
(^100) Gruenwald and Wilson, “Pacific trade - who should be targeted in Emerging
Asia?”
(^101) Ibid.