US Issues Warning To Pacific Island Countries Over Chinese Security Assistance, Citing Potential To 'Fuel Regional And International Tensions'

The United States has issued a warning to Pacific Island nations against seeking security assistance from China, following reports of Chinese police presence in Kiribati, a neighboring nation of Hawaii.

What Happened: The U.S. State Department cautioned Pacific Island nations on Monday against accepting security assistance from China, Reuters reported. This warning came after it was revealed that Chinese police are working in Kiribati, a remote atoll nation.

Kiribati’s acting police commissioner, Eeri Aritiera, informed that uniformed Chinese officers are collaborating with the local police in community policing and a crime database program. This development is significant due to Kiribati’s strategic location and its large exclusive economic zone in the Pacific, according to the report.

A State Department spokesperson said, using the abbreviation of the People’s Republic of China “We do not believe importing security forces from the PRC will help any Pacific Island country.  Instead, doing so risks fueling regional and international tensions,” according to the report.

“We are concerned about the potential implications security agreements and security-related cyber cooperation with the PRC may have for any Pacific Island nation’s autonomy,” the spokesperson said.

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China has not yet responded to the report. However, the Chinese embassy in Kiribati had earlier announced plans to rebuild a World War Two U.S. military airstrip on Kiribati’s Kanton Island, a move that raised concerns in the U.S.

Why It Matters: The U.S. warning to Pacific Island nations comes amid escalating tensions between the U.S. and China in the Pacific region. The U.S. has been increasingly vocal about the cybersecurity threat posed by China, with FBI Director Christopher Wray recently warning that China’s covert placement of offensive malware in U.S. critical infrastructure networks is at a scale greater than ever before.

Meanwhile, China’s efforts to expand its security ties in the Pacific have faced resistance from some nations. For instance, Taiwan has accused China’s coast guard of triggering panic by boarding a tourist boat near the disputed Kinmen islands.

The U.S. has also been critical of China’s security pacts in the Pacific, such as the secret security pact with the Solomon Islands, which the U.S. and Australia have criticized as undermining regional stability.

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