(Singapore Comprehensive Television) Experts said that Persian Gulf Petroleum State is using huge wealth to establish influence in the South Pacific region, which is obviously imitating China's Belt and Road Infrastructure project.
Saudi Arabia and the UAE are investing a lot of funds in the Pacific Island country to help these countries meet the impact of climate change.
Vanuatu's special envoy Canton told AFP that the Persian Gulf countries obviously hope to establish friendly relations with the Pacific Island country."They have seen some advantages existing in the South Pacific. They, and China have provided us with great help."
Since 2015, the UAE has spent at least 50 million US dollars (about S $ 67.61 million) on infrastructure projects on multiple Pacific islands. The main projects are renewable energy, including the establishment of solar power plants for Vanuatu.
With the funding of the UAE, Samoa, the country of the South Pacific Island, built a wind farm. The Marshall Islands built water storage facilities, while Grebas, Tuvalu and Solomon Islands carried out solar power generation projects.
According to Canton, the solar power plant in the Port of Villa, the capital of Vanuatu, is one of the largest renewable energy projects carried out by the UAE in Vanuatu.
Canton pointed out that the relationship between the two countries based on the clean energy project invested in the UAE in Vanuatu has "made significant progress."
Saudi Arabia has established diplomatic relations with multiple Pacific island countries in recent years
Saudi Arabia has established with many Pacific island countries in the past few years, including Tuvalu and Fiji (2015), Tonga (2020), Vanuatu (2022), and Cook Islands (April this year)Diplomatic relations.
Saudi Arabia also announced last month to donate $ 8 million for the Solomon Islands, which hosted the Pacific Games this year.
In addition, politicians in the Pacific region also went to Liade, Saudi Capital earlier this year to discuss climate financing issues.
Agence France -Presse pointed out that in the past 10 years, Saudi Arabia and the UAE have played increasingly important roles on the international stage, and have also adopted a stronger and stronger position in foreign policy.The huge investment of renewable energy in the two countries not only attracted worldwide attention, but the UAE also successfully bid for the 28th UN Climate Change Conference (COP28) at the end of this year.
Saiman, a senior researcher at the Middle East Research Institute of the National University of Singapore, said: "This reflects their new ambitions. In the past, these Persian Bay countries have always played a passive role in international relations."
He pointed out that the Persian Gulf countries such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE have been in the past 10 years. Through their huge wealth, they have gradually expanded their influence in the Indian Ocean and the Pacific of India."This is like the Belt and Road Initiative of a smaller scale, the Persian Bay version."
Saman said that the profit is not the biggest consideration in investing in the South Pacific region."They are to establish diplomatic partnerships with their own interests."
