“To advance Pacific Island studies and categorize it as an independent discipline akin to studies of South Asia, Australia or Africa, it is necessary to break through Western strategic thinking and channel the Pacific Islands into world culture by adopting an equal attitude and stance in research,” Li Shaoxian, vice president of the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, said at a high-level forum on Pacific Island studies on April 19. Experts and scholars attending the forum participated in extensive discussions about the present state and future development of Pacific Island studies.

Sino-Pacific regional cooperation to be constantly enhanced

With its small land area and population, the Pacific Islands have been viewed as the “loneliest region” in the Pacific Ocean faced with a series of modern development problems. Fijian Ambassador to China, H.E. Mr. Esala Teleni, notes that countries in the region face shared social, climate, health and security challenges.

There is a long history of traditional friendship and cultural exchanges between China and the Pacific Islands. In recent years, cooperation between both sides has been increasingly strengthened. China not only has vast diplomatic missions in the region, but has also played an instrumental role economically by becoming the third-largest donor of aid behind Australia and the US. Furthermore, China has established dialogue platforms, such as the China-Pacific Islands Dialogue Conference and China-Pacific Islands Economic and Technical Cooperation Forum. China has won recognition from countries in the region by treating them as equal economic cooperative partners. It has also offered assistance with no political strings attached to promote healthy, stable economic development of the South Pacific region. Ambassador Teleni said that Chinese investment in the Pacific Islands has funded construction of highways and other important infrastructure as well as cultural exchanges, all of which have allowed people in the region to benefit greatly.

The intricate political situation of South Pacific island nations amid economic globalization has brought challenges to cooperation between China and its regional partners. Zhai Kun, director of the Institute of World Political Studies at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, said China needs to further make its strategic position clear to facilitate cooperation in a complex environment.

Exploring the road to modernization with Pacific Island characteristics

In recent years, international academia has increasingly attached importance to the Pacific Islands. Li Shaoxian said that studies of the region are mainly conducted by the British Commonwealth of Nations, whose scholars analyze Pacific Islands’ history, geography and political systems through field research and collection of official materials.

Some scholars have noted that research achievements related to the Pacific Islands have been made by countries such as the US, Britain, Australia and New Zealand, but these countries’ shared Western characteristics hinder an objective perspective based on historical development. Li Shaoxian claimed such studies usually overemphasize the positive role of colonialism and attribute underdevelopment to regional constraints, despite capitalist exploitation being the historical and realistic root cause for stunted regional development.

Wang Shiming, a professor from the School of Advanced International and Area Studies at East China Normal University, said Western modernization theory rooted in the 16th century and has been put forward as the standard modernization model for the Pacific Islands. Wang noted the region’s unique geography and cultural traditions make it unsuited to the model, adding it had only been popularized because of the West’s dominance in global affairs. A new perspective should be adopted related to modernization of the Pacific Islands that better takes into account regional characteristics, said Wang.

Ambassador Teleni said China is spearheading relevant research and establishing research institutions that will provide a unique perspective for studies. He said that the region will provide new realms for research in the fields of energy, the environment, oceans and culture, adding that rich historical research will positively influence geopolitical development.

Absorbing ideological resources on historical development

Some scholars have suggested that to further enhance mutual understanding between China and the Pacific Islands and promote the smooth, peaceful development of bilateral ties, universities and research institutions need to take advantage of their own resources and organize related experts for collaborative research purposes.

China’s overall research of the Pacific Islands is still relatively weak. However, in recent years targeted research achievements have been made. Relevant institutions have been established by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, Zhongshan University, Jiangsu Normal University and Liaocheng University. China’s research in this field is still in its infancy, said Li Shaoxian, adding that relevant research achievements usually focus on political issues of great powers in the broader scope of Asia-Pacific relations and Asia-Pacific regionalization.

With current intensifying competition among great powers in the Pacific region, China’s future research should focus more on how to optimize applied research that serves the national strategy and advances Pacific Island studies as an independent discipline.

Wang Wei, a distinguished professor from the Research Center for the Pacific Islands at Liaocheng University, said that to enhance Pacific Island studies there should greater focus given to concrete issues from the perspective of globalization. Further absorbing ideological resources related to historical development of the region is also necessary, Wang added.

The Chinese version appeared in Chinese Social Sciences Today, No. 586, April 21, 2014.

Chinese link: http://www.csstoday.net/xueshuzixun/guoneixinwen/89165.html

Translated by Yu Hui

Revised by Tom Fearon