Journalists from over 10 Pacific Island countries participate in a United States tour through the East-West Center’s Pacific Islands Development Program with Congressman Ed Case. Picture: SUPPLIED
A voice for the Pacific
US wary of China’s agenda, and climate change
CLIMATE change will impact the United States in a range of ways but the consequences of the changing climate that is drawing increased attention in the US is the risk it poses to national security, not only to America but to the Pacific as well.
The security warnings are magnified in the Pacific because America is not exactly sure what China’s long-term ambition in the region truly is.
A group of journalists from the Pacific visiting Capitol Hill in Washington DC heard those in the corridors of power say over and over again that they did not believe China’s interest in the Pacific was purely for economic gain.
Pacific Caucus The journalists were told that in a bid to advance a free and open Indo-Pacific — and to emphasise the importance of the Pacific region — the US Congress has for the first time established a Pacific Caucus.
Last year the US also announced at the Indo-Pacific Business Forum that it would set up a new Transaction Advisory Fund to help partners in the Indo-Pacific region access private legal support for contract negotiations.
Last week Congressman Ed Case, the District 1 representative from Hawaii, said he would co-chair the newly-established caucus along with three highranking US House colleagues.
“The Pacific Caucus is an official organisation for a common purpose, to band together and to work together and to work on issues of mutual concerns,” he said, “This caucus is focused on the Pacific, we have never had a caucus that is specific to the Pacific.”
Congressman Case is no stranger to the Pacific, he described himself as “born and raised four generations deep in the Pacific”.
“I know the world’s future is in the Pacific and security is a major accelerating issue in the Pacific, certainly — economic development, social welfare, climate change, loss of land, loss of areas to live and refugees due to climate change.”
Congressman Case said to understand China’s growing interest in the Pacific, one would have to first look at what climate change was doing to vulnerable Pacific Island States.
Security issue by climate change He added that if there was ever any uncertainty about climate change, the daily lives of Pacific Islands people were the best testimony to the ever-growing threat of the impacts of climate-related events.
“First of all, climate change is real.
“In the Pacific we don’t have to go much further than our forests, our wild life, our seashores, to understand there is something very wrong with our environment — and with our climate — that is resulting in severe consequences across the board, whether they be sea level rise and associated loss of a country in many cases.”
The congressman said even though Hawaii was made up of volcanic islands with a lot of elevated areas, it had a high number of endemic species which were susceptible to climate change extremes.
“I think the connection from climate to security is obvious.
“However, I don’t think it is obvious yet to enough people that there is a direct relationship between climate change, environment degradation and effects on countries intimately involved with the ocean and actual security concerns.”
He said it was these security concerns that drove many countries into making choices that could impact on not only their security but the US as well.
“For example, if you have to go and take the offer of assistance with a lot of strings attached to it from a country like China because you have such incredible social needs, obviously that will be detrimental to your country, and to the Pacific and to the world.
“Well that’s a hard choice.
“That’s a security issue by climate change.”
A collective voice Congressman Case said the Pacific Caucus would become a powerful voice for the region in the world’s biggest democracy.
“In any legislative body, you’re much more likely to be heard when you’re working as a group as opposed to working by yourself.
“I can sit here as one person and yell and scream and a couple of people might hear me.
“But if I’m acting from a caucus perspective where a number of members of congress are all acting collectively, then our voices are amplified.”
The Pacific Caucus co-chair said there were a lot of positives in adopting a collective voice.
“There’s a leverage in that — 435 members in the House and there’s a number of issues out there.
“It would be correct to say and sad to say, in some ways, that many of my colleagues don’t appreciate the magnitude of the Pacific.
“They’re not oriented toward the Pacific.
“So if you have a caucus that magnifies our voices, we are much more likely to be heard and much more likely to work with institutions across our country or the world that is very much focused on the Pacific — whether it be the Pacific Islands Forum or military.”
Congressman Case said a good example was the INDOPAC command headquartered in Honolulu which was the largest military unified command in the US.
“Their jurisdiction is the Pacific so they spend a lot of time thinking about the Pacific, so I can find a way to have a larger voice in Congress to not only advocate for the Pacific inside Congress and the US Government, but also with independent organisations like our military who I think are good solid partners with this, not only purely on the defensive side, because we are very involved with our military with technical assistance and with humanitarian assistance when needed.”
The China issue He said security remained the US’s most critical issue, especially in regard to China’s growing sphere of influence in the Pacific.
“Speaking from my country’s perspective, I believe that the next couple of generations in the world will be largely defined by our future with China.
“I think that’s going to determine what’s going to happen in our whole world in the next couple of generations and I do believe we’re in a period of great difficulty because we don’t know where that is heading.
“We certainly know that China is trying to project it’s power and influence out there in the world and we certainly know that they’re very very active in the Pacific and in many many countries, probably all, some more than others.”
Congressman Case said in his personal view, he did not think China’s development aid agenda was “about selfless desire to improve the world”.
“I think it’s about projecting power and influence and so I think this is about trying to be sure we honour and advance the US relationship with the Pacific in such a way that we can all have a good solid shot at having a good solid world which is a democratic world, a world where we have the opportunity to advance and take care of each other.”
He said the US had been involved in the Pacific for 100 plus years but this had lapsed due to the US being deeply embroiled in the Middle East because of 9/11.
“Now it’s time to turn back to the Pacific and China.”
The congressman said Pacific people needed to ask themselves if they would want to live under Chinese influence for the next 50 years.
“Today, there is a far greater recognition and focus on China, not only in the Pacific but across the world.
“One thing is clear on what China’s ambitions are — I think that left unchecked and left unaddressed, we will not end up in a good place with China.
“And so it’s simply a matter of reality — what are the choices that need to be made in terms of our relationship with China, not just the US but also the rest of the world.
“I think if we make the right choices we can get to the right place.
“If we make the wrong choices, we’re not going to be in a good place — any of us — including your countries.”
Journalists from over 10 Pacific Island countries participated in a US tour through the East-West Center’s Pacific Islands Development Program.
The Pacific Caucus is an official organisation for a common purpose, to band together and to work together and to work on issues of mutual concerns – Ed Case
The security warnings are magnified in the Pacific because America is not exactly sure what China’s long-term ambition in the region truly is.
A group of journalists from the Pacific visiting Capitol Hill in Washington DC heard those in the corridors of power say over and over again that they did not believe China’s interest in the Pacific was purely for economic gain.
Pacific Caucus The journalists were told that in a bid to advance a free and open Indo-Pacific — and to emphasise the importance of the Pacific region — the US Congress has for the first time established a Pacific Caucus.
Last year the US also announced at the Indo-Pacific Business Forum that it would set up a new Transaction Advisory Fund to help partners in the Indo-Pacific region access private legal support for contract negotiations.
Last week Congressman Ed Case, the District 1 representative from Hawaii, said he would co-chair the newly-established caucus along with three highranking US House colleagues.
“The Pacific Caucus is an official organisation for a common purpose, to band together and to work together and to work on issues of mutual concerns,” he said, “This caucus is focused on the Pacific, we have never had a caucus that is specific to the Pacific.”
Congressman Case is no stranger to the Pacific, he described himself as “born and raised four generations deep in the Pacific”.
“I know the world’s future is in the Pacific and security is a major accelerating issue in the Pacific, certainly — economic development, social welfare, climate change, loss of land, loss of areas to live and refugees due to climate change.”
Congressman Case said to understand China’s growing interest in the Pacific, one would have to first look at what climate change was doing to vulnerable Pacific Island States.
Security issue by climate change He added that if there was ever any uncertainty about climate change, the daily lives of Pacific Islands people were the best testimony to the ever-growing threat of the impacts of climate-related events.
“First of all, climate change is real.
“In the Pacific we don’t have to go much further than our forests, our wild life, our seashores, to understand there is something very wrong with our environment — and with our climate — that is resulting in severe consequences across the board, whether they be sea level rise and associated loss of a country in many cases.”
The congressman said even though Hawaii was made up of volcanic islands with a lot of elevated areas, it had a high number of endemic species which were susceptible to climate change extremes.
“I think the connection from climate to security is obvious.
“However, I don’t think it is obvious yet to enough people that there is a direct relationship between climate change, environment degradation and effects on countries intimately involved with the ocean and actual security concerns.”
He said it was these security concerns that drove many countries into making choices that could impact on not only their security but the US as well.
“For example, if you have to go and take the offer of assistance with a lot of strings attached to it from a country like China because you have such incredible social needs, obviously that will be detrimental to your country, and to the Pacific and to the world.
“Well that’s a hard choice.
“That’s a security issue by climate change.”
A collective voice Congressman Case said the Pacific Caucus would become a powerful voice for the region in the world’s biggest democracy.
“In any legislative body, you’re much more likely to be heard when you’re working as a group as opposed to working by yourself.
“I can sit here as one person and yell and scream and a couple of people might hear me.
“But if I’m acting from a caucus perspective where a number of members of congress are all acting collectively, then our voices are amplified.”
The Pacific Caucus co-chair said there were a lot of positives in adopting a collective voice.
“There’s a leverage in that — 435 members in the House and there’s a number of issues out there.
“It would be correct to say and sad to say, in some ways, that many of my colleagues don’t appreciate the magnitude of the Pacific.
“They’re not oriented toward the Pacific.
“So if you have a caucus that magnifies our voices, we are much more likely to be heard and much more likely to work with institutions across our country or the world that is very much focused on the Pacific — whether it be the Pacific Islands Forum or military.”
Congressman Case said a good example was the INDOPAC command headquartered in Honolulu which was the largest military unified command in the US.
“Their jurisdiction is the Pacific so they spend a lot of time thinking about the Pacific, so I can find a way to have a larger voice in Congress to not only advocate for the Pacific inside Congress and the US Government, but also with independent organisations like our military who I think are good solid partners with this, not only purely on the defensive side, because we are very involved with our military with technical assistance and with humanitarian assistance when needed.”
The China issue He said security remained the US’s most critical issue, especially in regard to China’s growing sphere of influence in the Pacific.
“Speaking from my country’s perspective, I believe that the next couple of generations in the world will be largely defined by our future with China.
“I think that’s going to determine what’s going to happen in our whole world in the next couple of generations and I do believe we’re in a period of great difficulty because we don’t know where that is heading.
“We certainly know that China is trying to project it’s power and influence out there in the world and we certainly know that they’re very very active in the Pacific and in many many countries, probably all, some more than others.”
Congressman Case said in his personal view, he did not think China’s development aid agenda was “about selfless desire to improve the world”.
“I think it’s about projecting power and influence and so I think this is about trying to be sure we honour and advance the US relationship with the Pacific in such a way that we can all have a good solid shot at having a good solid world which is a democratic world, a world where we have the opportunity to advance and take care of each other.”
He said the US had been involved in the Pacific for 100 plus years but this had lapsed due to the US being deeply embroiled in the Middle East because of 9/11.
“Now it’s time to turn back to the Pacific and China.”
The congressman said Pacific people needed to ask themselves if they would want to live under Chinese influence for the next 50 years.
“Today, there is a far greater recognition and focus on China, not only in the Pacific but across the world.
“One thing is clear on what China’s ambitions are — I think that left unchecked and left unaddressed, we will not end up in a good place with China.
“And so it’s simply a matter of reality — what are the choices that need to be made in terms of our relationship with China, not just the US but also the rest of the world.
“I think if we make the right choices we can get to the right place.
“If we make the wrong choices, we’re not going to be in a good place — any of us — including your countries.”
Journalists from over 10 Pacific Island countries participated in a US tour through the East-West Center’s Pacific Islands Development Program.
The Pacific Caucus is an official organisation for a common purpose, to band together and to work together and to work on issues of mutual concerns – Ed Case