'PARTNERS IN THE BLUE PACIFIC' INITIATIVE
The United States and allied countries namely Australia, Japan, New Zealand and the United Kingdom have launched a new initiative called ‘Partners in the Blue Pacific’. This initiative was launched amid China’s aggressive push of increasing its influence in the Pacific. Under the new initiative, countries will be involved in “effective and efficient cooperation” with small island nations of the region. The geostrategic competition in the Pacific region has intensified of late after China’s scope of increasing footprint in the region was made clear by signing a common cooperation agreement with 10 Pacific countries.
PARTNERS IN THE BLUE PACIFIC INITIATIVE
The Partners in the Blue Pacific Initiative is a five-nation “informal mechanism”, launched for supporting Pacific islands and for boosting economic and diplomatic ties in the region. This initiative was announced on June 24, 2022. It seeks to enhance “prosperity, resilience, and security” in the Pacific by closer cooperation among the member nations. Member countries would cooperate in areas including climate crisis, transportation, connectivity, health, maritime security & protection, prosperity and education.
WHAT IS THE PACIFIC ISLAND FORUM (PIF)?
The Pacific Islands Forum is the region’s premier political and economic policy organization. Founded in 1971, it comprises 18 members: Australia, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, French Polynesia, Kiribati, Nauru, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu.
WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PACIFIC REGION?
- Largest Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs): The islands are divided on the basis of physical and human geography into three distinct parts- Micronesia, Melanesia and Polynesia. Despite their small land area, the islands are spread out over a wide swath of the Pacific Ocean. As a result, though they are some of the smallest and least populated states, they have some of the largest Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) in the world.
- Economic Potential: Large EEZs have a great deal of economic potential since they can be used to exploit the wealth of fisheries, energy, minerals, and other marine resources present there. Hence, they prefer to be identified as Big Ocean States, rather than Small Island States.
- In fact, Kiribati and FSM, both PICs, have EEZs larger than that of India.
- Role in Major Power Rivalry: The major powers of the colonial era competed with each other to gain control over these strategic territories. The Pacific islands also acted as one of the major theatres of conflict during the Second World War- between imperial Japan and the US.
- Strategic Importance: In its 2019 strategy report, the US Department of Defence called the Indo-Pacific the “single most consequential region for America’s future”. Spanning a vast stretch of the globe from the west coast of the United States to the western shores of India, the region is home to the world’s most populous state (China), most populous democracy (India), and largest Muslim-majority state (Indonesia), and includes over half of the earth’s population. Among the 10 largest standing armies in the world, 7 reside in the Indo-Pacific; and 6 countries in the region possess nuclear weapons. Nine of the world’s 10 busiest seaports are in this region, and 60% of global maritime trade transits through Asia, with one-third of global shipping passing through the South China Sea alone.
HOW IS CHINA TRYING TO TRANSFORM ITS TIES IN THE PACIFIC?
As China signed a security pact with Solomon Islands, the deal flagged serious concerns about the Chinese military getting a base in the southern Pacific, close to the US island territory of Guam, and right next to Australia and New Zealand. China’s quest to dominate crucial shipping lanes pushed 10 Pacific nations to endorse a game-changing agreement called the “Common Development Vision”. Common Development Vision is a comprehensive strategic partnership featuring mutual respect and common development, to build a closer China-Pacific Island Countries community with a shared future. China and the US are among 21 PIF dialogue partners, but this year the regional forum had decided not to engage with the dialogue partners in-person during the Fiji meet. China, which considers Taiwan to be a breakaway territory, is preparing for what seems like an inevitable military invasion. The PICs are located geostrategic ally in what is referred to by China as its ‘Far Seas’, the control of which will make China an effective Blue Water capable Navy, an essential prerequisite for becoming a superpower. Before launching the PBP, the US and its partners started the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF), a trade-boosting play in the region with 13 nations- Australia, Brunei, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, Fiji and Vietnam. G7 announced a plan- Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGII) to rival China’s Belt and Road Initiative by promising to raise 600 billion dollars to fund development projects in low and middle-income countries.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE INDIA-PIC RELATIONS?
About: India’s interaction with the PICs is still largely driven by the presence of a sizable Indian Diaspora in the region. Nearly 40% of Fiji’s population is of Indian origin and about 3000 Indians live in Papua New Guinea at present. In terms of institutional engagements, India participates in the Pacific Island Forum (PIF) as one of the key dialogue partners of the Forum. The most important development in facilitating India’s interaction with the PICs in recent years has been the formation of an action-oriented Forum for India and Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC). FIPIC, a multinational grouping, was launched in 2014.
AREAS OF COOPERATION:
Blue Economy: The PICs with their resource-rich EEZs can be attractive sources of natural resources like Liquefied natural gas (LNG) and hydrocarbons to fuel India’s growing economy and can also provide new markets. India can engage with these countries particularly, given its own emphasis on the idea of ‘Blue Economy’.
Climate Change and Sustainable Development: The geography of these island countries makes them vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate challenges.
The increasing soil salinity due to the rising sea level threatens the low-lying island states, also giving rise to the problem of displacement. Therefore, climate change and sustainable development are crucial areas of concern where a closer partnership can be developed for effective and concrete solutions.
TEST YOURSELF
Q.1 Out of the given options, Which of the following nations have launched a new initiative called ‘Partners in the Blue Pacific’?
- China, Australia, Japan, Russia and the UK
- Russia, Australia, Japan, New Zealand and the UK
- USA, Australia, Japan, New Zealand and the UK: ANSWER
- None of the above-mentioned
Q.2 ‘Partners in the Blue Pacific’ initiative was launched amid _________ aggressive push of increasing its influence in the Pacific?
- Australia
- China: ANSWER
- Russia
- None of the following
Q.3 The Pacific Islands Forum which is the region’s premier political and economic policy organization comprises of how many members?
- 29 members
- 18 members
- 19 members
- None of the above-mentioned
Q.4 Recently, the Government has launched India's first manned ocean mission at the National Institute of Ocean Technology in Chennai. Name that India’s first manned ocean mission?
- Deep Ocean Mission
- SamudraYaan Mission: ANSWER
- SagarYaan Mission
- None of the following
Q.5 The National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) has announced India's first manned ocean mission in sync with the __________ of ISRO that aims to send a manned mission into space by 2022?
- Shukrayaan Mission
- Mangalyaan Mission
- Gaganyaan Mission: ANSWER
- None of the following
