Amata cautions Pacific friends on China economic help with strings attached

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Congresswoman Uifa’atali Amata is sounding a note of caution to Pacific Islands nations that sign agreements with China for economic interests.

For instance, a press release from the Congresswoman’s office said the new visa exemption agreement between Samoa and China may make travel between them easier for their citizens, but at what cost to the U.S. and other democracies’ economic and security interests in the region.

“Some would say this is an aggressive wolf in sheep’s clothing move by China, beyond mere tourism or a basic trade development proffer,” noted Congresswoman Amata. “As we saw with Palau, China is very good at turning on the spigot of economic growth and just as quick to turn it off when their broader policy goals are not fully embraced. I caution my friends and my Samoan family, to be careful in their embrace, and maintain a safe distance at arm’s length before embracing further.  Often the economic miracle promised by China does not appear in the closed loop of its implementation and ends up greatly benefitting one side far more than the other.”

Congresswoman Amata noted that U.S. policy should be the reopening of regional fishing waters closed by the Obama/ Bush administrations as a countermeasure to protect U.S. national interests in the region. Reopening fishing access, rebuilding the U.S. commercial fishing fleet, and enhancing U.S. Coast Guard presence with fast cutters in American Samoa are important steps that work together in defending the United States interests, and showing stronger U.S. commitment to the Pacific. In addition, both the United States Departments of State and Homeland Security along with our local government may need to reexamine tightening the entry requirements of people coming from Samoa to American Samoa as a result.

Earlier this month Samoa News reported that a new visa exemption agreement between Samoa and China was signed on January 23, by the Ministry of the Prime Minister and Cabinet chief executive Agafili Shem Leo and the Chinese Ambassador to Samoa Fei Mingxing.

The visa agreement was one of the issues discussed at the bilateral meeting between Samoa's Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mataʻafa and China's President Xi Jinping during the Samoa PM's official visit to China last year.

Aside from the visa exemption, the culmination of the bilateral meetings between Mataʻafa and the Chinese leaders included the signing of the following:

• •          Economic and Technical Cooperation Agreement
• •          MOU on Exchange and Cooperation in the field of Economic Development
• •          MOU on Establishing a Working Group on Promoting Unimpeded Trade
• •          MOU on the Global Development Initiative
• •          MOU on Education Collaboration and Exchanges
• •          Handover Certificate for the Fingerprint Testing Laboratory

Upon the conclusion of the signing, Mata'afa and Fei acknowledged that the visa exemption arrangement would benefit both countries substantially by easing international travel.

Samoa and China established diplomatic relations in 1975.