As the US looks to be leaving the Pacific, and New Zealand is rowing with Kiribati and the Cook Islands, experts worry about Chinese influence Photo: RNZ Pacific/ Lydia Lewis
Last week's Pacific Islands Forum summit ended dramatically when China demanded the communique be changed to eliminate a reference to Taiwan.
The document had made a reference to the Forum reaffirming its relations to Taiwan, which has been a development partner since 1992.
But the Chinese Ambassador to the Pacific, Qian Bo was furious and the document was rewritten.
RNZ Pacific senior journalist Don Wiseman asked Massey University lecturer in security studies, Dr Anna Powles, what she made of all of this.
