China in the Pacific Islands: Beyond the ‘Bad Dragon’ Narrative
147When looked at from this perspective, the records provide, at best, a weak
case for the argument that China has some grand geostrategic design or
that Taiwan is an inconvenient presence. The myopia of this “assuming
rather than demonstrating” attitude highlights the need for a new fresh
approach to the investigation of regional synergies including China and
Taiwan. Such an approach on the one hand should emphasize China’s
contribution to regional development and stability, and point to ways in
which the other regional stakeholders should cooperate with China in
areas that support Pacific Island priorities rather than building any new
security or diplomatic arrangements designed to compete with it.^145 On the
other hand, the new perspective should elucidate Taiwan’s positive role in
the South Pacific as the Cross-Strait relationship enters a new era under
the second Ma administration. Taiwan is now in a position to maximize its
soft power in the Pacific Islands, which may be the only strategy available
to protect its long-term interests in the region.^146 This strategy could also
bestow on Taiwan the status of significant, responsible and constructive
player with the potential for influencing China’s regional policies thanks
to Taipei’s special understanding of Beijing.^147 The Pacific Islands now
offer Beijing and Taipei the opportunity to experiment with confidence-
building measures, test cooperation models, and develop synergies on a
relatively small and low-risk scale. For this reason, the region could
become a laboratory for cross-Strait initiatives and patterns which in the
future could be implemented in other regions and deeply influence the
overall development of relations between the two sides. Incremental
synergies between China and Taiwan in the Pacific Islands Region would
assist its stability and development, further the socialization of the two
Asian stakeholders in the regional system, and benefit the overall cross-
Strait relations.
Conclusion
On a global scale, China’s growing economic power is fuelling Beijing’s
buoyant political influence and diplomatic clout, which challenge the
privileged status and erode the comfort zones of established powers. The
Pacific Islands region is no exception. China’s expanding presence there
has given rise to negative and often unsubstantiated representations in
(^145) Wallis, “The South Pacific ‘arc of opportunity’.”
(^146) Rockower, “Projecting Taiwan: Taiwan's Public Diplomacy Outreach”, 142.
(^147) Chu, “Strait Forward: The Political Implications Of Taiwan-Mainland
Economic Integration.”