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Many Islands

© Jason Gottlieb

Tonga is an island nation in the South Pacific, with a population of less than 100,000. Along with Kiribati (population: 83,976) and Nauru (10,501), Tonga has recently been recommended by the United Nations Security Council for United Nations membership. All that remains is a vote by the General Assembly to confirm these nations as full members of the international club of states.

They are not alone in the South Pacific Club. Fiji (802,611), Vanuatu (185,204), the aptly named Micronesia (129,658), the Marshall Islands (63,031), and even tiny Palau (18,110) are all full members of the United Nations. One of the smallest entities, Tuvalu (an island group of slightly more than 10,000; smaller than my University class) is not far behind. The largest of them is Papua New Guinea, with a population of 4.6 million, which has been a United Nations member for over twenty years.

All of the island nations are dependent on foreign trade for survival, and the People's Republic of China is a major trading partner with most of the islands. China is adamant in its position that there is only one China, and that Taiwan, another major trading partner for the islands, is not a separate country. Since Taiwan is not a separate entity, China's reasoning goes, diplomatic relations with Taiwan are impossible. Any country that insists upon diplomatic relations with Taiwan must forgo relations with China, and the tremendous concomitant economic benefits. Thus, any recognition of Taiwan would spell economic disaster for an island nation dependent on Chinese trade.

For those nations that can resist economic pressure, China also uses diplomatic pressure. Tonga has been seeking United Nations membership for years, but since Tonga had recognized Taiwan instead of China, China refused to ratify Tonga's membership in the Security Council, where China holds veto power. The pressure worked. Late last year, Tonga ended its twenty-six year relationship with Taiwan, and established diplomatic relations with China.

Papua New Guinea has also come under fire for its shifting allegiances. On July 5, 1999, Papua New Guinea announced it had forged diplomatic ties with Taiwan, only the 29th country to do so. Although Taiwan officially denied that money had anything to do with it, the Papua New Guinea newspaper The National reported that a US$2.35 billion loan was a key lever in the negotiations. The Taiwanese seem to recognize the need for cash. An editorial in the Taiwan United Daily News said that to have relations with other countries "everyone knows...we have to be a little bit profligate, we have to be a little bit of a sucker."