Pacific island leaders to voice opinions on China's regional role

Officials and academics from around the Pacific will gather in Samoa next week to give their views on China's evolving relations with Pacific island nations.

Organized by the New Zealand Contemporary China Research Centre at Victoria University of Wellington, the National University of Samoa, and the Centre for Oceania Studies at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, the conference would be an opportunity to discuss changing geopolitics in the Pacific region, said the head of the New Zealand center.

There would be particular emphasis on regional security, development cooperation, and trade and investment, Tony Browne, chair of the New Zealand Contemporary China Research Centre, said in a statement Wednesday.

"This is the first time such a conference has been held with the views of the Pacific islands themselves being at the heart of the discussion," said Browne.

"The growing Chinese involvement in the Pacific has led to widespread discussion about the impact this is having on the region's long term economic growth and social development."

The conference would bring together Pacific island government leaders, heads of regional organizations and scholars to put their perspectives on the record.

"This is the first time that a leading Chinese University has joined with universities in New Zealand and the Pacific Islands to discuss China's role in the region in this way," he said.

The conference "China and the Pacific: The View from Oceania " would be held at the National University of Samoa from Feb. 25 to 27.