The parliamentary elections in Kiribati have become a focal point for the power struggle between the United States and China in the Pacific region. The elections, held in the Pacific atoll island nation of Kiribati, have centered around issues such as rising living costs, sea-level rise, and the skepticism surrounding the benefits of deepening ties with China.
Kiribati, a former ally of Taiwan, is located in the central Pacific Ocean, straddling the International Date Line, with a population of approximately 130,000 spread across over 10 inhabited islands and atolls.
The elections have served as a microcosm of the competition between China and the United States and their allies in the Pacific, with tensions escalating as both superpowers vie for influence in the region.
In the village of Banraeaba, with a population of about 2,875, a thatched-roof polling station was bustling with activity at midday as more and more people turned up to cast their votes, with many residents expressing discontent. Police were present to manage the crowd, with many voters sitting cross-legged, waiting to cast their ballots while entertaining children. To expedite the voting process, an official improvised a makeshift polling station using a rope and bags of rice.
The incumbent President Taneti Maamau, aged 63, who has been in power for nearly a decade, is seeking re-election. During his tenure, Kiribati’s relationship with Beijing has strengthened, with Maamau banking on good relations with the world’s second-largest economy to help Kiribati achieve its ambitious development goals by 2036.
In the lead-up to the elections, Chinese Ambassador Zhou Limin praised the Maamau government for its “historic achievements in various fields.” He noted the increase in the number of cars on the roads, the greater variety of goods in supermarkets, and the addition of new entertainment facilities in playgrounds as evidence of improved living standards for the people of Kiribati.
However, many residents do not share the ambassador’s optimism, with widespread complaints, particularly about the rapid rise in living costs. According to official data, Kiribati’s consumer prices rose by over 9% last year.
Despite rapid economic growth, concerns persist that closer ties with China have fueled what a former Kiribati president described as “widespread authoritarianism.” In recent years, Maamau has suspended two high court judges and expelled a partner of a Kiribati opposition leader. Additionally, he signed a secret policing agreement with China, allowing Chinese police to operate in the capital, Tarawa.
While on the surface, the rotation of Beijing’s public security advisors to assist in training Kiribati’s under-resourced forces may seem benign, it is also viewed as another maneuver in the ongoing rivalry between China and the United States for influence in the Pacific.
Some Western analysts believe that China’s activities in Kiribati, including deploying police, exploring a new runway on Kanton Island, and conducting extensive marine surveys, are aimed at establishing a larger security footprint in the region. Graeme Smith, a Pacific affairs expert at the Australian National University, notes that aside from appointing diplomats, sending police to Kiribati provides Beijing with another intelligence channel to understand what is happening in the country.
Overall, the Kiribati parliamentary elections have underscored the geopolitical tensions between the United States and China in the Pacific, with the outcome likely to have far-reaching implications for the region’s future.