As Australia expands defence pacts in the region, Beijing courts local communities with ‘small and beautiful’ aid
6-MIN READ6-MIN ListenFan ChenandLaura ZhouPublished: 6:00am, 23 Aug 2026On paper, Western countries are rushing to sign defence pacts in the South Pacific, ensuring their influence in a region long neglected as a geopolitical backwater. But on the water, the island nations are playing a very different game.Instead of taking sides, local leaders are leveraging the geopolitical tug of war between China and the West, winning security guarantees from the latter while Beijing builds infrastructure and deepens its economic footprint.
Beijing issued similar responses to both developments, saying the countries’ cooperation should not target any third party or be used to “engage in geopolitical games”.
