China's Diplomacy in the Pacific: Interests, Means and Implications

Abstract

Distinct from the literature, this paper uses China’s official definition of ‘core interests’ as a benchmark to examine three aspects of China’s diplomacy in the Pacific: main interests, means to safeguard interests, and the implications for regional powers. It argues that the ‘One China’ policy outweighs the other aspects of China’s core interests in the region. China has pursued its interests in the Pacific by three main means: visit diplomacy, economic leverage and its policy of non-interference. Though China has built stronger trade relations with the Pacific region, it still lags behind regional powers in many other aspects.