The Pacific Islands Forum’s 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent envisions a peaceful, harmonious and secure Pacific region.
A war breaking out due to geopolitics would not exactly align with those goals. If push comes to shove, Baron Waqa, the new Forum secretary general, would rather the combatants spare the Pacific.
“We don’t want them to fight in our backyard here. Take that elsewhere. You know we are peaceful people. We are a peaceful region,” the former Nauru president said.
Waqa took the helm of the region’s premier political organisation, succeeding Henry Puna of the Cook Islands, whose three-year term ended in June. Waqa served as president of Nauru from 2013 to 2019 and chaired the Forum from 2018 to 2019.
The Forum is emerging as an influential bloc amid the escalating tensions in the region where the United States and China are engaged in a hypersonic arms race.
Waqa is not a fan of geopolitics, which he described as “something that is nasty, especially when you’re not totally aware of the intention of others coming into your region.”
“That is why I say that partners have to be genuine. You know we need to be fully aware of their purpose in the region and that is the friendship that they want to genuinely share with the people of the Pacific and help with their development,” Waqa said, speaking at his first “Meet the Press” in Suva, Fiji, in June.
Of particular concern for Waqa is China’s behaviour in the region and what is being described as Beijing’s attempt to sideline the Forum as it tries to secure one-on-one diplomatic and security ties with Forum member-countries.
Waqa, who openly criticised China in 2018 when he was the Forum chair, cautioned that diplomatic engagement would be difficult if Beijing continues to behave in a manner that disregards the sovereignty of Pacific island nations.
He would welcome China to become part of the region in a very genuine, constructive way, but “if they can’t do that, then it’s hard.”
Waqa said the Forum appreciates China’s involvement in the region on bilateral levels. Several member-countries have diplomatic ties with China, including Nauru, which sprang a surprise earlier this year when it severed ties with Taiwan.
Only three Pacific island nations—Tuvalu, the Marshall Islands and Palau— remain allied with Taiwan. In these cases, Waqa said, the Forum’s main concern is to make sure that its members’ interests are protected.
This will be further discussed at the August meeting in Tonga, when they will present a plan to create an “ocean of peace” in the Pacific, Waqa said.
Esala Nayasi, the Forum’s deputy secretary general, said the “zone of peace” concept is an initial proposal that will be presented to the PIF leadership at the Tonga assembly.
Waqa said he had already visited Tonga and has determined that everything is ready for the Third Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in August, during which Pacific leaders will congregate in Tonga to discuss regional issues. He said preparations for this event are coming along nicely.
“Are we happy with the progress? Yes, very, very much indeed. It will happen, and it will be a successful meeting,” he said.
Waqa said the Forum also expects UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to soon visit Tonga for a scheduled meeting. He expects several Pacific issues to be raised, chief of which is climate change and security.
The news briefing also touched on the volatile situation in New Caledonia.
Waqa said the Forum is truly concerned about what’s happening in the French territory and is focused on “maintaining peace and stability at this time.” The island nation was rocked by riots and protests in May due to proposed voting reforms that many fear would dilute the voting power of the indigenous population.
Waqa said the Forum chair and the Forum itself have reached out to the New Caledonia president, and the Forum is hoping to involve the three island nations of the Cook Islands, Tonga and Fiji—also known as the Troika—in crafting what he calls an “action timeline” for decisions on how to address the volatile situation.
“Yes, we will be providing a timeline of actions. And hopefully, we can get some sort of decisions very, very soon,” he added.
Waqa said the French government’s actions—sending military troops to New Caledonia to tamp down the violence, bringing in high-grade weapons such as armored vehicles, and the arrest of seven persons accused of provoking the violence—are also “quite concerning.”
“The movement of weapons and other vehicles is something that we (and everyone in the region) are equally concerned about. We would like to see that the issue in New Caledonia [be resolved] as quickly and, with those buildups, we won’t do justice to that,” he said.
The arrest of the seven persons who were then spirited away to France for prosecution also concerned Waqa. He said the Forum intends to raise the issue with France, hopefully with the assistance of the Troika, and possibly by the Solomon Islands, before the August meeting.
The news briefing also touched on the violence in West Papua and how the Forum is addressing the issue.
Founded in 1971, the Pacific Islands Forum is the region’s top political and economic organisation with 18 members across the Pacific Ocean.
