Kiribati president secures 3rd term as China, US vie for Pacific leverage

TAIPEI, TAIWAN — 

Kiribati President Taneti Maamau, who has led the Pacific Island federation to physique person ties with China successful caller years, secured his 3rd word successful bureau connected Saturday. He defeated 2 different candidates successful an predetermination intimately monitored by countries astir the world.

Maamau won astir 55% of the vote, portion his nearest challenger, Kaotitaaake Kokoria, won 42% of the vote, New Zealand’s High Commissioner successful Kiribati said. Kiribati’s main justice, Tetiro Semilota, declared Maamau the victor and congratulated him.

New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon became the archetypal planetary person to congratulate Maamau for his triumph connected Saturday. “We look guardant to moving with the Government of Kiribati to present connected our shared priorities,” helium wrote successful a station connected societal media level X.

Kiribati is 1 of the countries that relies heavy connected overseas aid. The outgo of living, rising oversea level and relations with China were the main issues starring up to Friday’s statesmanlike election.

Saturday’s result is viewed arsenic the Kiribati voters’ endorsement of policies Maamau’s authorities has implemented implicit the past 4 years, including deepening the Pacific Island nation’s ties with China.

During the parliamentary predetermination successful August, the ruling Tobwaan Kiribati Party, oregon TKP, secured 33 retired of 44 seats successful the caller parliament, and Maamau won his spot by winning adjacent to 83% of the votes successful his district.

“The TKP has a precise steadfast bulk [in the parliament], and it benignant of shows that the radical of Kiribati privation to spot much of what has been happening [over the past fewer years],” said Henryk Szadziewski, an adept connected Pacific-China relations astatine the University of Hawaii astatine Manoa.

Since switching diplomatic designation from Taiwan to China successful 2019, Kiribati has deepened its engagement with Beijing. The Maamau administration’s efforts to elevate information ties with the Chinese authorities person prompted concerns from partners specified arsenic Australia and the United States.

In 2021, China helped Kiribati revamp a World War II-era airstrip connected the land of Kanton, which is little than 3,000 kilometers from Hawaii and Kwajalein Atoll successful the Marshall Islands, wherever large U.S. subject bases are located.

In February, Kiribati’s acting constabulary commissioner, Eeri Aritiera, revealed that Chinese constabulary would assistance Kiribati’s assemblage policing programme and IT department, raising concerns from the U.S. that the practice could negatively interaction Kiribati’s sovereignty.

Some analysts accidental since China has ambitions to deepen its economical and information scope successful the Pacific region, Australia and the United States are precise acrophobic astir immoderate advancement successful information relations betwixt Beijing and Pacific Island countries.

“It’s unclear however the policing statement with Kiribati volition germinate successful Maamou’s adjacent term, but it’s improbable that Chinese engagement volition cease oregon decrease,” said Meg Keen, a elder chap astatine Lowy Institute successful Australia.

Despite these concerns, Szadziewski said Kiribati’s efforts to physique person ties with China shouldn’t beryllium viewed done a axenic zero-sum lens. “The Kiribati system is heavy reliant connected tourism and fishing, and China has stepped up with infrastructure projects successful that respect,” helium told VOA by phone.

But China’s engagement with Kiribati hasn’t been “all benevolence,” Szadziewski said. “Kiribati has opened up its maritime domain for accrued Chinese fishing, truthful determination is thing successful it for China that’s economic,” helium said.

During a reception celebrating the 5th day of the restoration of diplomatic ties betwixt China and Kiribati, the Chinese ambassador to Kiribati, Zhou Limin, said the narration has further consolidated and vowed to fortify synergy betwixt the 2 countries successful the future.

Under Maamau’s 3rd term, Keen successful Australia said, Kiribati volition apt support its adjacent narration with China portion besides trying to question assistance from different countries, specified arsenic Australia, to assistance amended the country’s infrastructure and clime resilience.

“There’s nary denotation that the narration with China volition alteration nether different word for Maamau, and helium volition beryllium seeking a beardown bequest successful his last word by moving with immoderate improvement spouse that tin assistance with his ambitious improvement goals,” Keen told VOA successful a written response.

She added that astir Pacific leaders don’t presumption maintaining relations with China oregon different antiauthoritarian countries specified arsenic Australia arsenic “an either/or choice.”

In effect to China’s elevated relations with Kiribati, Australia and the United States person besides stepped up efforts to deepen ties with the Pacific Islands nation.

In 2023, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong announced that Canberra would “rapidly standard up” information and improvement with Kiribati during her sojourn to the country. In February, the U.S. Coast Guard conducted associated patrols with Kiribati successful the country’s exclusive economical zone.

Despite these efforts, Szadziewski astatine the University of Hawaii said it’s important for antiauthoritarian countries to recognize the priorities of Pacific Island countries and effort to prosecute with them connected “equal footing.”

“Pacific Island states person heightened sensitivity astir sovereignty, truthful they similar to spot exchanges with different states connected an adjacent footing,” helium told VOA, adding that antiauthoritarian countries should guarantee the precedence of their engagement with Pacific Island countries is not solely astir geopolitics.

“If China is your main interest and wherefore you are successful the region, that’s not going to beryllium thing of involvement to the Pacific Island leaders,” Szadziewski said.

In summation to the statesmanlike predetermination successful Kiribati, Palau is going to clasp a wide predetermination connected November 5, with the existent president, Surangel Whipps Jr., moving against erstwhile president Tommy Remengesau Jr. successful a contention that analysts accidental Beijing volition beryllium intimately following.

Experts accidental contention for geopolitical power betwixt China and the U.S. arsenic good arsenic its allies volition intensify arsenic countries effort to prosecute with winners emerging from these important elections successful the Pacific region.

“Election periods volition ever heighten activities, and contention [between these countries] is lone going to get much aggravated implicit the adjacent mates of years,” Blake Johnson, a elder expert astatine the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, told VOA by phone.