China's rise benefits small Pacific states

RAROTONGA, Cook Islands -- Small island states are set to benefit from China's growing influence in the Pacific, Niue Prime Minister Toke Tufukia Talagi said Wednesday.

"Certainly from my perspective, from Niue's perspective, we're very happy that China's in the Pacific," Talagi told Xinhua in an exclusive interview before the 43rd Pacific Islands Forum leaders plenary meeting in Rarotonga.

"I don't believe that China's incursions into the Pacific should be seen as a negative thing. I see it as a very positive thing and I have heard also US President Obama say the same thing and I agree with him. It is positive. They should be part of the Pacific because they are part of the Pacific," said Talagi.

Niue had benefited in concrete ways from the Chinese assistance, he said.

"We've had the airport terminal built with Chinese money; we've had the security of the airport also secured with Chinese money; we're looking at building a hotel in Niue with Chinese money -- so all of those things will add up."

The Chinese assistance would help bring people and investment to Niue.

"Our job is to ensure that we can create opportunities in Niue so that people who are living overseas may consider coming to Niue, " he said.

"The dilemma we have at the moment is that Niueans are not necessarily looking at Niue as a place for investment, but other people are, and we're trying to figure out how we can cope with that influx of people who wish to come and live in Niue, but are not Niueans."

Realizing their identity as large ocean island states would leverage Niue's influence with large states such as China, he said, referring to the theme of this year's PIF meeting "Large Ocean Island States -- the Pacific Challenge".

"We're larger than what a lot of people define us as because of the ocean that surrounds us. I mean we're bigger than Belgium, bigger than Holland, but the difference is the fact that ours is water and theirs is land," said Talagi.

"The fact is that we are responsible for the huge mass of ocean with its own richness. Although I know the Chinese have produced lot of their fish through fish farming and so on, it's still going to be an important source of protein for people around the world and food scarcity is going to be a major issue so anything that helps produce food for the world is going to be very, very useful for everybody."