Illustration: Liu Xiangya/GT

Taneti Maamau, president of the Pacific island nation Kiribati, retained his parliamentary seat in a landslide in the first round of voting in a national election on Wednesday.

With a population of 134,000, the election in this island country has evoked considerable coverage in a number of Western media outlets. Instead of focusing on the actual election processes and the constituencies' expectations, frontpage headlines of these outlets attempt to stir up unwarranted "concerns" or even "alarm" on the China-Kiribati relations. Some even labeled Wednesday's election as "a referendum on Maamau's embrace of Beijing."

Before its independence in 1979, Kiribati had been colonized by the UK, occupied by the Japanese army, and fought over between the US and Japan during the Pacific war. Parts of it had been used by the UK and the US as their nuclear weapon testing ground after World War II, leaving till this day persisting health and ecological consequences. 

As the result of more than 100 years of Western colonization, exploitation and abuse, Kiribati has remained one of the most under-developed nations in the Pacific region. To make matters worse, the impact of climate change has landed Kiribati into an acute existential crisis with its coastlines being progressively eroded and water salination becoming increasingly serious.

In 2019, the Kiribati government decided to resume diplomatic relationship with China. The mutually beneficial partnership and cooperation between the two countries have since significantly brought sea-changing improvement to the island country. China has supported Kiribati to build and upgrade its infrastructure which had been neglected during the colonial times and had remained seriously inadequate. Medical assistance from China has also improved the country's healthcare system and the people's health status. 

Since the US started to implement and advance its "Indo-Pacific Strategy" - which is purported to deter, disrupt and derail China's development - the Pacific region has been designated by Washington as a strategic location of contestation with China. China's successful cooperation with the Pacific island countries has been targeted in a malign scare and smear campaign launched by the US and some of its allies. Some media outlets in the West have been instrumentalized by the anti-China forces to spread malicious disinformation and slanderous rumors to incur unfounded concerns and fears so as to sabotage the China-Kiribati partnership. 

The ongoing general election, for example, has also been distorted as a contestation with the "pro-China" camps, and misinformation about the so-called China influence and China threat has been hyped up to cause confusion among the island country's constituents. It is clear the anti-China Western forces have been trying to manipulate the local public opinion and interfere with Kiribati's politics. As Takuia Uakeia, director of the Kiribati campus of the University of the South Pacific, was quoted by AP as saying, "Interestingly, these Western countries maintain their own connections with China, but when small island states do the same, it suddenly raises concerns." 

Ruth Cross, a candidate for the electorate of South Tarawa, sharply pointed out that the voters in Kiribati have little interest in geostrategic competition. Voters "don't want to hear any talk about any of the [geopolitical] issues and things like that," she was quoted by Nikkei as saying. What is more important to the island country is the enhancement of the people's livelihoods, in particular to improve their education levels and business skills. With the country's strong development aspirations, the ultimate goal is to boost Kiribati's economic independence with self-sufficiency and self-determination.

China has adopted its policy of "four full respects" toward the Pacific island countries, which lays emphasis on its full support of the island countries' sovereignty and independence, upholding the principle of the equality of all countries, big or small. The will of the Pacific island countries is respected, and extensive consultation and joint contribution are the best and only pathway toward shared benefits and win-win outcomes. The Pacific island nations' cultural traditions are also highly esteemed and appreciated. China advocates harmony rather than uniformity and adheres to the collective development of diverse cultures. The 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent, an action plan of development of the Pacific island countries, is also supported by China. China has been contributing to the building of a peaceful, harmonious, secure, inclusive and prosperous Blue Pacific. As President Maamau once said, such an attitude serves as "the key to promoting cooperation, mutual trust and genuine partnership between China and the region."

China's cooperation with Kiribati will continue to progress and flourish, in spite of the anti-China canvass spreading defamation and misinformation.

The author is professor and executive director, Asia Pacific Studies Centre, East China Normal University. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn