French gendarmes stand guard at a roadblock outside a courthouse in Noumea in the French overseas territory of New Caledonia on June 22, 2024. Photo: VCG

Regardless of the true historical or social reasons behind the recent unrest in New Caledonia, or many other events in the Pacific Island countries (PICs), Western media invariably continue to point fingers at China, maliciously exaggerating or fabricating China's role and influence in the region while ignoring the facts and distorting the achievements of China's cooperation with these countries.

Experts have pointed out that this demonstrates how the West exploits crises to shift blame, revealing their habitual anti-China stance and double standards.

In May, France granted voting rights to French residents who have lived in New Caledonia for 10 years, sparking strong opposition from the indigenous Kanak people, who fear that this move will weaken their influence in future independence referendums.

Notably, the "spread of misinformation" on social media and accusations of "external forces" like China, Russia, and Azerbaijan highlight the double standards and myopia of Western societies when dealing with their own conflicts.

This defamation is an attempt to blame the chaos created by the West on China while spreading theories of "Chinese subversion" and the "China threat" throughout the PICs. This is a typical tactic to malign China's image and influence both domestically and internationally, international relations experts told the Global Times.

Blaming external forces ignores the complexity of historical and socio-economic issues, obscuring the true social conflicts while using them as a tool for Western political crisis exploitation, they noted.

Frequent target

Led by the Australian Associated Press (APP), Western media has maintained its steady stream of accusations against China, alleging that China's influence is behind the spread of misinformation during the recent unrest in New Caledonia. This narrative forms part of a broader strategy that blames regional instability and negative events on China's actions and technology, and China's advancements in the EV industry, despite lacking substantial evidence.

As tensions in the Pacific region escalate, experts argue that these allegations divert attention from the long-standing Western interference in the affairs of PICs.

In its June 22 report, the AAP accused foreign powers of spreading "misinformation" in New Caledonia. While the article also identifies Azerbaijan and Russia as being part of the misinformation campaign, it subtly includes China in the context of foreign interference. An observer quoted in the article commented that China benefits from the crisis and suggested that China uses such situations to counter France's interests, implying that China exploits regional instability.

The AAP also mentioned that authorities in New Caledonia banned TikTok, citing concerns that the Chinese-owned app was being used to spread disinformation amid the recent unrest. This association of TikTok with disinformation is seen as part of a broader pattern of attributing negative events to Chinese technology without substantial evidence.

Blake Johnson, an analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, commented in the interview that some foreign countries, like China and Russia, sometimes use media outlets for propaganda during local unrest or elections. Johnson analyzed the impact of media outlets like the Global Times in the South Pacific region, claiming that promoting these narratives through local traditional media and social media often "leads to greater online infiltration and engagement."

In reality, Western countries have a long history of influencing PICs. "The West has no right to discuss other countries' infiltration in PICs; they are the main culprits of infiltration," said Li Haidong, a professor at the China Foreign Affairs University.

"They use their own methods of infiltration, which the locals oppose, and then fabricate various narratives through their media outlets to blame China. This low and despicable tactic requires our media outlets to fully expose and criticize these actions, so the international community, especially the people and governments of PICs, can see the real source of their problems, which undoubtedly come from the West."

Before the Solomon Islands' elections in April this year, an investigative article by Russia's Sputnik news agency criticized the US' role and intentions, suggesting that the US Agency for International Development (USAID) might be trying to influence the election outcome through "democracy promotion" activities to counter China's influence.

The report detailed USAID activities, including engaging with local political leaders and civil society organizations, and funding surveys and training programs to bolster anti-government sentiment.

Yu Lei, chief research fellow at the Research Center for Pacific Island Countries of Liaocheng University, noted that the effective cooperation between China and the Solomon Islands has become an exemplar and a driving force for cooperation between China and Pacific Island Countries, encouraging others like Papua New Guinea to deepen their cooperation with China. This has caused significant dissatisfaction in Australia and the US.

Yu also indicated that the US uses various conventional methods to tighten control in Pacific Island Countries, such as deploying military forces, mobilizing local mobs and thugs for subversion, and using the Pacific Islands Forum to pressure disobedient countries through economic sanctions.

In consolidating the US hegemony and containing China, Western media, led by Australian outlets, play a significant role in swaying public opinion. For instance, in March this year, Fiji's decision to resume security cooperation with China attracted the attention of this alliance. A 60 Minutes Australia video discredited the China-Fiji police cooperation as a way to conduct "mass kidnapping" and "exert power in the region."

Subsequently, other Australian media outlets created a matrix effect by reporting on the same topic simultaneously.

An anonymous source told the Global Times that Australian media outlets often depict China's interactions and cooperation with PICs as geopolitical pawns, suggesting that China interferes in their internal affairs and undermines their sovereignty. Fiji's involvement in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is frequently cited, with claims that China's infrastructure projects create "debt traps" for these nations.

John Queripel, an Australian historian and author, told the Global Times in an exclusive interview that, "Chinese interests in the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Kiribati, and Papua New Guinea, among others, have suddenly sparked renewed interest in both Australia and the US, who had previously left the region as a backwater for years," he said.

"The connections, which the Solomon Islands in particular developed with China, almost caused an apoplectic fit in Australia. Much of it was paternalistic, alleging that the ''naive' Solomon Islanders were being 'manipulated' by China. That type of attitude is precisely the problem that Australia has had with the Pacific," Queripel said.

Self-reflection needed

The Western media's portrayal of China's involvement in the PICs is not only baseless and destructive to normal interactions but also serves as a convenient strategy for Western countries to deflect their domestic issues.

In the case of New Caledonia, for instance, French media reports quoted some French experts, who believe that attributing the New Caledonian crisis to "foreign interference" oversimplifies the issue. They criticize this political inclination to blame "foreign influence" for covering up domestic failures and shortcomings, emphasizing that historical causes and the complex ethnic composition of the region cannot be ignored. The lingering resentment from colonial history continues to fuel discontent among some groups.

"France needs to engage in clear self-reflection, respecting the sovereignty of other nations and avoiding interference. The West should abandon its habitual sense of moral superiority and return to the principles established by the United Nations for handling such incidents. Blindly smearing and slandering for selfish gain is unacceptable," Li said.

He noted that the Western practice of blaming China while ignoring their own issues is a common tactic. This approach of shifting responsibility for local crises and unrest to third parties, especially China, not only fails to solve local problems but exacerbates them.

The West's habit of sowing discord and creating turmoil is driven by two motives: Strengthening Western influence and interests in the region, and undermining and marginalizing perceived strategic competitors through manipulative tactics. This extremely irresponsible behavior must be thoroughly exposed and criticized, he noted.