The men attended a meeting of the forum’s fisheries service, in which Harris announced increased US commitment to the region, believed to be in response to China’s growing influence. They were sitting with the media corps, but one was identified as a Chinese embassy official by Lice Movono, a Fijian journalist who covers the forum for the Guardian. Movono said she “recognized him because I have interacted with him at least three times already,” including during Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s visit to Suva last month, during which reporters were turned away from events and unable to ask questions . . “He was one of the people who took us away from places and directed other people to take us away,” he said. “So I went to him and asked him, ‘Are you here as an employee of the Chinese embassy or for Xinhua [Chinese news agency], because this is the media space. And he shook his head as if to show that he didn’t speak English.” Movono alerted Fijian protocol officers, who told her to inform the Fijian police, who then escorted the two men from the room. They did not respond to questions from the media. One of the Chinese officials is asked to leave the media area. Photo: William West/AFP/Getty Images Diplomatic sources later confirmed that the men were a defense attache and deputy defense attache from China and part of the embassy in Fiji. The incident comes after Chinese involvement in the region has intensified in recent months, simmering as an undercurrent at this year’s Pacific Islands Forum. The uptick in Chinese involvement has included China signing a controversial and far-reaching security pact with the Solomon Islands and a marathon tour of the Pacific region by the Chinese foreign minister in which more than 50 deals are believed to have been signed. China is not part of the Pacific Islands Forum, but like the US is a partner country. Partner states are usually invited to attend a dialogue meeting after the forum where they can make presentations, but this year the partner dialogue will not be held during the summit week to give Pacific countries some breathing space from intense geopolitical pressure. It was thought China would use the dialogue meeting after the forum to bring back a new version of the sweeping economic and security deal it presented to 10 Pacific leaders last month but which was rejected. However, Harris was invited to attend the forum virtually, which is seen as a huge coup for the US and a blow to China, which has not received a similar honor. US Vice President Kamala Harris addresses the Pacific Islands Forum via video link as Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong listens. Photo: William West/AFP/Getty Images The US has made a concerted effort to increase its engagement with the Pacific in light of Chinese interest, including the opening of its embassy in the Solomon Islands, announced in February, and a series of measures announced by Harris on Wednesday. . These measures include two new embassies, the appointment of a special presidential envoy to the Pacific Islands Forum, and a tripling of the amount of money requested by the US Congress for economic development and ocean resilience – to $60 million a year for 10 years – as well as the return of Peace Corps volunteers to Fiji, Tonga, Samoa and Vanuatu. Fijian Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama acknowledged the US’s reengagement with the region, saying: “It’s clear that the US is certainly looking a lot more like the Pacific partner that we’ve traditionally thought it is.” In her mock speech to Pacific leaders on Wednesday morning, Harris acknowledged the diplomatic vacuum the US had left in recent years, saying: “We recognize that in recent years, the Pacific Islands may not have received diplomatic attention and support you deserve. . So today I’m here to tell you straight: we’re going to change that.” He also appeared to interpret China’s involvement in the Pacific by talking about “bad actors” in the region. “At a time when we see bad actors seeking to undermine the rules-based order, we must stand together,” Harris said. “In this region and around the world, the United States believes it is important to strengthen the rules-based international order – to defend it, promote it, and build on it. “These international rules and norms have brought peace and stability to the Pacific for more than 75 years – principles that significantly state that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states must be respected. principles which enable all states, great and small, to conduct their affairs without aggression or coercion.’
