China wants to dominate the Pacific Ocean
But US military bases stand in the way
So China has a plan.
Welcome to China Uncensored. I’m Chris Chappell.
The Chinese Communist Party is always trying to expand
its control of the world. Whether it’s taking over Tibet in the 1950s,
or its border wars to take parts of India in the 1960s and then again in 2020,
or building illegal military bases in the international waters of the South China Sea—
the Communist Party’s military will do whatever it takes to expand China’s territory.
Taiwan may be the Communist Party’s next target.
But it has bigger dreams. It wants to dominate the entire Pacific Ocean.
The Pacific Ocean is about 30% of the planet. If China controls that,
it’s a third of the way to winning real-life Risk.
A huge amount of shipping runs through the Pacific Ocean. And
that can happen freely because the region is protected by the US and its allies.
But if the Chinese Communist Party controls the Pacific, they’ll control international
shipping. They could force ships to pay taxes to China, or restrict where ships
can travel. They could also set up military bases that directly threaten the US mainland.
So *how* is China planning to get control of the Pacific?
For now, it’s courting these countries through diplomacy.
And who doesn’t want to be courted by China? “You like these flowers? They
were hand picked using the finest slave labor.”
Chinese state-run media claims it’s just about
building roads and bridges for peace and development.
But that is a lie.
For example, China signed a security pact with the Solomon Islands , and
now the Solomon Islands have banned all foreign naval vessels from docking there.
And while both China and the Solomon Islands are currently denying it,
the long term plan is for China to set up a military base there.
And in Kiribati , China has drawn up plans to revive a strategic airstrip from World War II.
All they have to do is add 1, and it’s ready for World War III.
China knows these islands are crucial for control and influence over the Pacific.
The US understands this, too.
Which is why the US keeps territories there,
like American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, and Guam.
The US also has a special relationship with what are called “The Freely Associated
States”. These are independent countries that receive US funding and military protection,
in exchange for letting the US keep a military presence there.
This US military presence in the Pacific is key to
deterring China’s invasion of Taiwan and further expansion.
But the Communist Party won’t sit idly by. It’s trying to infiltrate,
and bring these countries one by one away from America,
and into its own group of friends. And that doesn’t just affect the US.
I’ll explain more after the break.
Welcome back.
China is seeking to exploit diplomatic gaps between the US and the Freely Associated
States in the Pacific. The Federated States of Micronesia is one of them.
“China and Micronesia have developed robust diplomatic and economic ties
comparable to those Beijing has with other small Pacific nations.”
Micronesia is now part of the Belt and Road Initiative, China’s global infrastructure project.
Micronesia even turned its back on Taiwan in the UN.
Jeez, China’s nice to you for like five minutes
and you start dissing Taiwan? What did Taiwan ever do to you?
Micronesia hopes that it can maintain economic relations
with China while keeping US security guarantees.
Essentially, they’re trying to have their cake and eat it too. By getting with
a bad boy
and a really, really, *really* bad boy.
But whether Micronesia likes it or not, “China is
probing at the edges of US influence in the [Freely Associated States]”.
One way it’s doing that is by supporting separatist movements.
“There is every reason to believe that Beijing would welcome the opportunity
to… support the fragmenting of the [Freely Associated States] into smaller states.”
It’s like that old expression: “If you can’t beat
’em...fund opposition groups to tear them apart from the inside.”
For example, China funded a 10 million dollar government complex in Chuuk. That’s the largest
of Micronesia’s four states. And Chuuk also just happens to be pushing for independence.
“[If the Chuuk state became independent], China could attempt bilateral military deals
with Chuuk because it would no longer be part of the [Compact of Free Association].”
That’s the agreement the other Freely Associated
States have with the US. So this would be bad for the US.
And guess what? Chuuk has one of the largest and deepest lagoons
in the Pacific, which makes it an ideal base for military operations.
China has also spent more than 50 million dollars to build roads in Chuuk.
And they’ve given money to bail out the Chuuk state government.
So the Communist Party is trying to buy Chuuk’s love with gifts. Sounds like
your dad after the divorce. Except it’s not your dad. It’s someone else’s dad,
and he’s actually trying to get with your mom.
To China’s disappointment, the Chuuk independence referendum has been delayed.
But not to worry! The Chinese Communist Party
has its tentacles in a lot of different places in the Pacific.
New Caledonia , a French territory,
also raised fears of Chinese influence when it had a referendum for independence last year.
New Caledonia is in a strategic location, and has one of the largest lagoons in the world.
Of course. China doesn’t want New Caledonia for
its personality. They just want to get in its lagoon.
So how is the US responding to Chinese influence in the Pacific?
By giving them a little extra special attention.
The Biden administration hosted the first US-Pacific Island
Country Summit in Washington, DC this week. Yeah. Don’t take them for granted. Tell them
you appreciate them. And make them feel less insecure by introducing them to your friends.
The goal is to deepen US ties to the Pacific island nations and prove its credibility.
“The U.S. has to worry about each of these countries and
what direction they’re going to drift in… The Chinese are going to offer them money,
so [the US will] have to be able to offer them other things.”
This includes strategic military protection and assurances of dealing with climate change,
which is a major concern that Pacific islands have.
Whereas China… isn’t the best partner if you’re worried about climate change.
But not all the Pacific islands and the US see everything eye to eye.
And this week’s summit was off to a rocky start.
“Micronesian leaders [raised] serious concerns
about ‘insufficient’ financial assistance to the region.”
The Marshall Islands called off a round of talks because the US hadn’t even responded to their
request for compensation for all those nuclear tests the US did there in the 1940s and 50s.
And the Solomon Islands refused to sign a joint declaration about preserving
security and trade. Because the Solomon Islands just signed that deal with China.
This is a blow to the Biden administration’s efforts to
secure long-term security and economic agreements.
The US better act fast if it wants to keep a united Pacific front. Because China is moving in.
And it’s a really, really, really bad boy.
And now it’s time for me to answer a question from a viewer on Patreon.
That’s the crowdfunding website we use to raise money to support us and all our
staff at China Uncensored. Because we’re definitely not securing money from China.
And one of the Patreon perks is being able to ask me a question that I answer on the show.
Scott P Kammer asks: “What are the odds that the CCP stabs Xi in the back and replaces him?”
Good question, Scott. The odds are very high that some people
within the CCP *want* to stab him in the back.
A few years ago, several former top officials were even jailed for plotting to overthrow him.
They did not succeed at the time, and it’ll be even harder to succeed
in the future. Xi Jinping is more powerful now than he was back then.
A lot of people may want Xi Jinping gone. But over the past decade,
he’s gradually replaced the leadership in the police, military, media,
and all the important Communist Party organs with his own loyal people. So
anyone who tries to stab him in the back now is going to have a lot more trouble doing it.
But that’s not to say that it’s impossible. Especially if something unexpected happens,
like an economic collapse. Then Xi will be a lot more vulnerable.
Thanks for your question, Scott.
And thank you to everyone for watching.
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Once again, I’m Chris Chappell. See you next time.