Investigation: Why is China on the move in the South Pacific? | 60 Minutes Australia

There's trouble in paradise The nations of the South Pacific are tired of us simply thinking of them as sunny parks for postcard-perfect vacations. In recent months, many have had major problems that threaten their very existence. Scott Morrison has been trying to convince leaders across the Pacific that Australia is looking out for them and wants to help, but the Prime Minister isn't getting many thanks in return and that's because China is on the

move

and seems willing to spend more money in the region. However, how it is doing it, as we discovered, is alarmingly sometimes sinister right now in the Pacific, seeing red has many people seeing red two months ago, the Pacific nation of Carabas switched its allegiance from Taiwan to communist China , so this is very clearly someone's talenism, we are not being paranoid now like the first foreign journalists who tried to report on their feeling that we are under surveillance, then the house arrest three thousand five hundred kilometers to the west, in the Solomon Islands , a glimpse of how China could leverage its alliances in the Pacific, then they called you and said, I have a million dollars for you.

If you come to the hotel and accept the change to China, yes, and just north, in war-torn Bougainville, with its legendary gold mine, we reveal a Chinese master plan. You would love to do business with China. Oh yes, how do you describe China's actions in the Pacific? Expansionist Captain Jim Finnell was the US Navy's Pacific Fleet intelligence chief who watched China's

move

ments there daily and now warns Pacific nations leaning toward China's influence to be where China has told them. All these Pacific countries that only want to be your partners, those that want to participate economically, don't you believe them?

We have evidence to show that when they say they want to be your economic partners, the end result is that they become your economic master. China. demands that no country in its diplomatic sphere can recognize Taiwan and there is no doubt that the communist superpower has a great strategic plan in the Pacific extending its alliances further and further

south

and with those alliances a massive infrastructure like this gigantic pier in Vanuatu which the country does not need but could dock an aircraft carrier with the recent consecutive recognition of China by the Solomon Islands and Carabas and possibly the soon to be independent Bougainville, we asked Jim Finnell to join us on a mission in the Pacific to inform about China's intentions. interested in this area because it is essentially the lifeline or choke point between the United States, Australia and New Zealand.

China has built the Navy that people said they would never build. China has deployed its fleet to places they said they would never deploy. They believe that they are supposed to be the legitimate leaders of this new global order, you know, the British century, the American century, now we're going to have the Chinese century, that's their vision in September. The threat Isayev is a prime minister of the Solomon Islands. Islands announced that his country would abandon recognition of Taiwan, chosen for being on the right side of history, communist China, a move that deputy opposition leader Peter Ken Alehrer says was more of a rush for cash. than considered diplomacy.

Is he happy that his country has changed allegiance? democracy to a communist state for me personally, we should not have taken our time and let ourselves be dictated and marched to the beat of a more dominant country is really China first, not Solomon's first, and here in the Solomons we find direct evidence that China The influence could have a sinister side, so they called you and said we have a million dollars for you if you come to the hotel and accept the change to China. Yes, Daniel Sudan II is the prime minister of Malita, the largest island in the Solomons.

He says he was. He offered a million-dollar bribe to support the country's move from him to China. You're suggesting there are a lot of corrupt politicians in your government, yes, but a million dollars just to be pro-Chinese. I mean, that's a great way to do business, oh. it's a new way of doing things it's really dangerous you think there's a bag of money there has to be more oh yes yes don't they come even a week before our visit we request an interview with the Prime Minister of the Solomons about his sudden recognition of China while we are here, we try again in person and we also want to ask you about your refusal to investigate the bribery allegations made by the prime minister.

We sue Danny while we wait for a high-level Chinese delegation to leave the prime minister's office. then, hot on their heels A VAR saga threatens himself rushes with his head down and is clearly not in the mood to talk to the gentleman. Prime Minister 60

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Australia sir, we would like to ask you a couple of questions about China, sir. prime minister mr. Prime Minister, can we ask you about the bribe money? Amid all the accusations of corruption and bribery, it seems that the Chinese have another novel approach to increase their presence here, such as leasing this entire island of Tuilagi for the next 75 years, ten square kilometers of including the deep-water port rights of oil and gas fishing rights forestry rights and tourism rights the Chinese want it all and the locals were not impressed when I found out I thought China is a communist country and we Solomon Islands are a democratic country Margaret Manu is an unlikely enemy for China, but here in Tuilagi, where land ownership is matrilineal, she is the voice of her people and the people here did not want to be owned by the Chinese. 60 Minutes obtained a copy of the lease document which It's almost comical if it weren't so sinister, the agreement was signed by two provincial leaders who, according to locals, have not been seen here since and, fortunately for Margaret and her people, were declared illegal when it was made public, so there was no consultation. the Chinese company just came here and tried to get one person to sign the agreement and that was it, that's what happened without those people knowing what was happening and what we are seeing now in our visits to the islands here is that the The Chinese are arriving with soft power and lots of cash to buy out local officials and gain access to ports and airfields and resources that will give them monopoly control on the islands and thus give them control over this vital sea route.

They are not welcome in paradise. being followed by a government car why the government is all about us has something to do with the amount of money coming in he doesn't like nosy reporters that's what's next on 60 Minutes there's something both menacing and absurd about being followed by a mysterious black sedan in a country that essentially has only one road It's mid-morning on our first day in Carabas, the last Pacific island nation to recognize communist China and ditch Taiwan. Now we are being followed by a government car, whether it is the Curvas government or whether it is someone. of the government operating under Chinese instruction who knows that something very strange can happen in a place like this with us is Captain Jim Finnell, former chief of intelligence for the US Navy's Pacific Fleet and someone who has witnessed firsthand how China does business in the Pacific. that the Chinese have said that as part of this deal they will have to pay more attention to who is here and what they are doing few foreign journalists come here none since the country's abrupt switch of allegiance to China one reason is that Carabas requires a draconian film permit which, according to journalists working in the region, is almost never granted and gives the government the right to completely censor any news report that we know we may have trouble with, but have come to anyway, a move we will soon find out counts. with the support of very high-level figures. at Pyramus it's basically house arrest upon arrival at our hotel they were immediately placed under house arrest and threatened with imprisonment their students broadcast to themselves we are sensitivities are rising here because Pyramus is vitally important to China's master plan in the Pacific the immense swath of Ocean Territory controlled by this small island nation is right in the middle of a safe sea route that China wants to establish to Antarctica and that it calls the blue economic passage, so it is believed that this blue economic passage, as China says , it's just the cover.

It is just the beginning of what they want to do, it is the beginning of a comprehensive plan that they have to dominate the region and at the beginning it is with economic development, but then it will be followed by fishing fleets and maritime law enforcement and then finally , the naval forces. At our hotel, two very high level visitors have demanded access to us even though government agents were guarding the entrance, these guys have told us that if we do anything, today they have made it quite clear that if we leave, they will close the main door of this hotel. in a cell my target is the president the man on the right is Pyramus as founding father and first president sir era meyer to buy one of the most respected men in the

south

pacific

with him his leader of the opposition Carabas tissa boo to Bonnie in this secret interview Filmed with their permission, these senior figures told us that we were right to come here without a permit and also told us that there is a media crackdown in their countries that has become harsher since the current government recognized China.

I'm not surprised you know this is the action. from a communist country not Genting sir was Maya and mr. Bonnie also told us that the Chinese spread two hundred and fifty thousand dollars in cash around these islands within weeks of Kira recognizing Beijing. What kind of democratic country spies on journalists and puts them under house arrest that we were ashamed to be a part of that night? You will be able to come to our aid if we are thrown into them so well that at least a little bit of democracy will be left guarding us, perhaps safeguarded by the presence of these two men from whom we were simply deported from Cubist's back to the Solomon Islands the next day, Why do you think the US government priest is so paranoid about media outfits that get the story right about what's happening there?

I think it's pretty clear that there's something to do with the type of money that's brought in, how it's distributed. Obviously, the distribution of money would be something that they probably wouldn't want people to know or hear about and the same day we got back to the Solomon Islands it was announces a huge deal for Chinese control of the country's only gold mine high above Honiara. The Goldrich mine is an old gold mine that has been resurrected in the first major deal the Solomon Islands have made with China since switching allegiance to the communist country. Incredibly, China describes the $825 million purchase and all the infrastructure it intends to build here as an early harvest and if you need evidence of advanced Chinese planning, one mining expert tells us the security guards' uniforms complete with the flag of communist China were ordered six months ago even though the diplomatic recognition that paved the way for this agreement was only two months old.

Recently, the Chinese will not only reap the direct benefits of this gold mine, but everything they build to service it (roads, railways and port facilities) will remain in China's hands forever, but just across the water lies a potentially even brighter prize that is truly enormous. reasons why the Chinese want this piece of Bougainville, the world's biggest man-made hits, China is now taking control of the South Pacific and why Australia is the big loser. Hysteria is becoming the enemy of another Bougainville that is next in 60

minutes

on our tour of the Pacific we would find conclusive evidence of China's long-term planning for our region.

We are in Bougainville, we are still part of Papua New Guinea, but not for long next week it will vote in a referendum on its independence. Bougainville was one of the world's forgotten campaigns. Second War, but 516 Australians died here during the war. 516 put that in context for me, well that's comparable to Vietnam, but veteran journalist Benbow Haines covered a much bloodier conflict here, the Bougainville civil war, where a rebel army fought New Guinea for independence and control From the fabulously rich Panguna gold mine, more than 10,000 people died between 1988 and 1998. We are given a small population here.

It's safe to say that virtually every family would have been affected in one way or another in small places like this, every family was affected by the war. One of the commanders of the Bougainville rebel army was General Sam: very patient, they make war and we play war now. Benbow hain and I headed to meet the general at his headquarters inthe south of the main island of Bougainville. It's hard to imagine fighting a It's even harder to imagine a war on this terrain to imagine the infrastructure needed to bring this place into the 21st century once it achieves its independence, but if it does, General Kona is a leading contender to become its first president, supported by his formidable wife Jo.

Are you sure Bougainville will become independent? I'm sure I've seen it if I'm walking around the scene in the north or south of the island and there are people expressing their feelings and points of view. You've been campaigning tirelessly, haven't you? Oh yeah oh yeah. make sure they vote for independence, but it is critical to any hope Bergen Vil has of becoming a self-sufficient nation and it lies deep within, its golden heart, the mine called Panguna Benbow hain and I are being given a Exceptional access to this legendary place, though, look at that. It is truly huge, one of the largest artificial wells in the world.

Panguna is estimated to still contain almost $60 billion in gold and copper, so that's what the war was about and the future here too. I guess so, this is the mine that sparked the war and may well be key to the future of Bougainville it is a haunting place a frozen moment of the consequences of the water we do Panguna rebel commander Moisés Poppy Ro, who shows us the enormous safe where the gold from the mines was once stored, now welded and closed, contains the weapons that his men established for peace, how many weapons, but if Papua New Guinea denies independence to Bougainville, which has to ratify it. the referendum votes for Moses like a Samba warning Moses, is there any way those weapons would be used again when you see maybe the children come back or we don't know?

Truly, it is unthinkable, but war will revisit this devastated place, but restore it to production. It seems almost equally impossible that this mine is to be the beating heart of a new Bougainville Republic and the blood pumping through it is destined to be of foreign origin. The big question is whether China will win this. Bogan will know that we are starting from scratch. Look at all our news. What about China? inclusive China. Yes, China is the world's superpower. We're free. Bougainville is free to choose the countries with which we can have the best deal on the eve of the independence vote.

An extraordinary revelation from the general. Konev has a detailed plan for the complete reconstruction of the island's infrastructure and the plan is Chinese. The first OVA came from China this year. We are still waiting for the Australian offer from Oprah USA on how they could support Bougainville's roads, ports and airport. built by China, but the general insists it's only because Australia and the US haven't offered anything of the sort. Australia even denied the general a visa, an almost unforgivable insult. You're saying that if Australia is truly genuine, you want an apology and you want us to do it. do more now that's why I feel Australia is making sin an enemy Australia is making Bougainville an enemy when I get the deal watching this with us is Captain Jim Finnell, the former intelligence commander of the US Pacific Fleet.

US who have been with us on this trip there has been no prior indication that China has such a long term master plan for Bougainville and as our last stop it is alarming news for this seasoned China watcher if Bougainville becomes the world's newest country, which would be a big win for China since it is now. is set, but with the change of Kier Abbas and the change in the Solomon Islands and what they are doing in Vanuatu and what they are doing in Fiji, you are starting to see a trend line here, which is that China is now taking the control of the South Pacific and I think that's why you're starting to see some change in the United States, for example, and even in your own government in Australia, where people are starting to say that if we don't stand up and control China's expansionism , we will be ruled by them in another 25 or 30 years Hi, I'm Liam Bartlet, thanks for watching, so stay up to date with the latest news from 60 Minutes Australia.

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