Co-organised by the New Zealand Contemporary China Research Centre, a national centre based at Victoria University of Wellington, the National University of Samoa, and the Centre for Oceania Studies at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, the conference will be an opportunity to discuss changing geopolitics in the Pacific region. There will be a particular emphasis on regional security, development cooperation, and trade and investment.
“This is the first time such a conference has been held with the views of the Pacific Islands themselves being at the heart of the discussion,” says Tony Browne, Chair of the New Zealand Contemporary China Research Centre. “The growing Chinese involvement in the Pacific has led to widespread discussion about the impact this is having on the region’s long term economic growth and social development.”
Most of that discussion to date has involved outsiders looking in, says Mr Browne. This conference will bring together Pacific Island Government leaders, heads of regional organisations, and scholars to put their perspectives on the record. They will be joined by scholars and officials from
“This is the first time that a leading Chinese University has joined with universities in New Zealand and the Pacific Islands to discuss China’s role in the region in this way.”
There will be a wide range of Pacific Island views on the impact of China’s resource acquisition and development assistance programmes, the place of Chinese communities, the economic development opportunities that China offers, as well as questions about where the South Pacific nations fit in China’s expanded global reach. An important sub-theme will be what the implications of this may be for countries that have traditionally been closely involved with Pacific Island states.
What: China and the Pacific: The View from Oceania
When: 25–27 February 2015
Where: National University of Samoa, Apia, Samoa