Canberra, Sep 2(ANI): Australia fears the expansion of Chinese influence in the South Pacific region and sees China's role growing at Australia's expense, according to the secret US cables leaked to the whistle blowing website, WikiLeaks.
According to The Age, former Australia's Prime Minister Kevin Rudd regarded China's growing economic and diplomatic activity as directly challenging Australia's interests in the South Pacific region.
'[Prime Minister] Rudd is especially concerned with Chinese influence in the Pacific and sees Australian leverage ebbing thanks to massive Chinese aid flows," the US embassy in Canberra had reported during Labour government's early tenure.
US diplomats shared the same sentiment about Chinese ambitions in the Pacific region and subsequently US embassies in Fiji and Port Moresby reported about the "international diplomatic chess match" being played by China and Taiwan.
While a "fervent intention to isolate Taiwan diplomatically looms large", US diplomats see China pursuing a broad south Pacific strategy that includes "the search for natural resources, including fish ... desires to gain influence over Pacific-island votes in international fora and, more generally, to demonstrate big-power status in the region", according to the cables.
Former Chinese premier Wen Jiabao's presence at a China-Pacific economic development forum in Fiji in April 2006 was seen as "a strong intent by China to strengthen its political influence in the region".
According to the cables, US and Australian diplomats have been concerned about the role of Taiwan's "dollar diplomacy" in fuelling corruption and instability in south Pacific countries, and supported Chinese efforts to wipe out Taiwan's diplomatic foothold in the region.
US embassy cables document numerous efforts made by Taiwan to "buy support" from Pacific countries. (ANI)
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