Fight for the Pacific

Al Jazeera (2025)

Film Review

Typically (for Al Jazeera), this documentary is very pro-Western in its perspective. It mainly expresses concerns about China replacing the US and Europe as the primary influence in the South Pacific. It appears to support continued French occupation of New Caledonia to counter Chinese influence.

New Caledonia

It focuses heavily on New Caledonia, one of the few Pacific nations still under European (French) control. Its residents are extremely bitter about their continued colonization by France, as well as French military repression and high food prices and rents.

The New Caledonian independence movement, continues steady growth begun in the 1960s with the Kanak (indigenous Melanesian people of New Caledonia) Awakening. A unilateral decision by French president Macron to change the electoral roll (to minimize Kanak representation) led to widespread riots on May 13, 2024.

The French responded by deploying 7,000 troops and killing scores of Kanaks, including several on customary land reserved for indigenous Melanesian. The UN condemned the extreme violence of the French response.

The riots also severely disrupted the tourist industry, causing many Kanak to lose their jobs and become homeless.

Years of nickel mining exploitation has led many white New Caledonian resident sto look to China for economic support. In 2011, Caledonia exported 6.9% of their nickel to China. By 2022, this had increased to 63%.

Chinese diplomats object to claims by Western leaders that they just want to colonize and exploit New Caledonia and other Pacific nations. As a founding member of BRICS and the Shangai Cooperation Organization, China is firmly committed to a multipolar world order in which sovereign nations respect the sovereignty of other nations for their mutual benefit.

Vanuatu

Vanuatu (which was never invaded by Japan) has never really recovered from World War II, when it served as a base of operations for 100,000 US troops and engineers. The latter simply abandoned all their military vehicles, leaving behind massive pollution, from petroleum products, rusting vehicles, etc which persists to this day. Vanuatu gained independence from a joint Anglo-French condominium in 1980.

Solomon Islands

The Solomon Islands were a British colony until 1978. Recently they have moved closer to China with the hope of reducing unemployment and improving their standard of living. There’s even a Chinese Communist Party in the Solomons, and the filmmakers briefly interview their leader. In 2021, there were anti-Chinese riots led by Daniel Suidani, who served as the Premier of Malaita Province from June 2019 until his ouster in a no confidence vote in February 2023. He was subsequently charged with unlawful assembly. At the time of filming his trial was ongoing.

During Suidani’s tenure as Premier of Malaita Province, the Solomon Islands government officially switched diplomatic recognition from the Republic of China (Taiwan) to the People’s Republic of China. Suidani was highly critical of this decision, alleging that the Chinese government offered him bribes in exchange for political allegiance. Suidani, in turn, ha been accused of accepting bribes from the Taiwanese government.

Suidani is also concerned about a 2022 security agreement the Solomons signed with China that would allow them to have a military presence there.

China’s envoy to the Solomons scoffs at accusation China wishes to establish a “quasi” military base there. He points out that the US has 800 military bases (the real number is over 1,000) with 400 in the Pacific Islands.