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Commentary
Wall Street Journal

China’s Rise Means Trouble in Paradise

Fiji and other tiny South Pacific states will be flashpoints of global competition.

walter_russell_mead
walter_russell_mead
Ravenel B. Curry III Distinguished Fellow in Strategy and Statesmanship
Tonga's King Tupou VI (C) reviews a military honour guard with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a welcome ceremony in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 1, 2018. (GREG BAKER/AFP/Getty Images)
Caption
Tonga's King Tupou VI (C) reviews a military honour guard with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a welcome ceremony in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 1, 2018. (GREG BAKER/AFP/Getty Images)

On a recent visit to Fiji I was able to confirm that the majestic islands of the South Pacific remain as close to paradise as one can get in this world. But alongside the sparkling crystal waters and coral gardens, I saw something darker at work in the region.

As U.S.-China competition intensifies, the thinly settled islands scattered across Oceania will become geopolitical flashpoints. The contest has already begun to impose strains on fragile societies. These strains will intensify as strategists in Washington, Beijing and Canberra seek to further influence political developments in tiny, almost inaccessible island-states.

Read the full article in the Wall Street Journal "here":