Port Moresby (Papua New Guinea): Hundreds of fluttering red flags, buses emblazoned with “China Aid” logos and even a purpose-built pagoda: driving around Port Moresby, you could be forgiven for thinking that Xi Jinping is hosting this week’s APEC summit of Asia-Pacific leaders.
US President Donald Trump’s decision to skip the summit in Papua New Guinea has allowed the Chinese leader to take centre stage, an opportunity that Beijing is seizing with relish.
Xi will embark on a state visit a day before the rest of the delegates descend on this dusty sun-baked city – and host a meeting with Pacific leaders – a schedule designed to emphasise growing Chinese influence in the region.
On Friday, he is expected to open a new road and be treated to a traditional “sing sing” – a tribal welcome complete with Birds of Paradise-feathered headdresses and grass skirts, underscoring his status as the man of the moment.
In front of the plush Stanley Hotel where Xi and the Chinese delegation will stay, dozens of red flags surround a pagoda, every bit as ostentatious as Xi’s diplomatic gambit.
Beijing has been working hard to expand its influence across the Pacific, securing new markets for Chinese firms, snapping up rights to mine, cut and harvest raw materials and developing a deep network of political influence.
Poor countries like Papua New Guinea – craving investment and much-needed capital – have welcomed the Chinese government with open arms.
Port Moresby is replete with evidence of that investment, from Chinese-built dual carriageways, Chinese-built convention centres and even a Chinese-built supreme court.
Increasingly, Beijing appears to be rivalling Washington as the region’s pre-eminent economic power, even if it is still eclipsed militarily. Trump’s decision not to attend the summit, and to send Vice President Mike Pence in his stead, has left Washington scrambling to convince allies that it has not conceded the battle for influence in the Pacific.
On Saturday, Pence and Xi will give back-to-back speeches at the Asia-Pacific CEO summit aboard the Pacific Explorer, a cruise ship docked in Port Moresby’s harbour.
The rivalry between Beijing and Washington has only deepened as the two countries exchange tit-for-tat trade sanctions and barbs, with Pacific islands caught in the crossfire. (AFP)
