China Funding ‘Pacific White Elephants’: Australia Minister

The countries in the Pacific Image credit: Bill's Excellent Adventures

China is funding "white elephant" infrastructure projects in the Pacific at unfavourable terms, a senior Australia minister said Wednesday in comments that could fuel further tensions between Canberra and Beijing.

China has been forging closer links with Pacific island nations

AFP report continues:

Friction between the two countries grew last month after Australia singled out China as a focus of concern when it proposed laws on foreign interference, drawing a furious response from Beijing.

China has been forging closer links with Pacific island nations, with Australia's Lowy Institute estimating it provided US$1.78 billion in aid, including concessional loans, for projects in the region between 2006-16.

Australia's International Development Minister Concetta Fierravanti-Wells said Beijing's influence in the region was "clearly growing", but criticized its development assistance as resulting in "white elephants".

"You've got the Pacific full of these useless buildings which nobody maintains, which are basically white elephants," she told The Australian newspaper.

Fierravanti-Wells said in her 24 trips to the Pacific as part of her international development portfolio, she had come across "non­productive infrastructure" that was not regularly maintained and not used to full capacity.

"I've gone to (the Pacific) islands and you'll be driving along on some back road and all of a sudden you see this Chinese road crew building a road to nowhere and you think 'hmm, what's all that about'," she added.

The minister also warned that unlike loans from the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank, Chinese financing had less than favourable terms.

"We don't know what the consequences are when (Pacific nations) have to pay back some of these Chinese loans," she said.

China has diplomatic relationships with eight Pacific island nations -- the Cook Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tonga, and Vanuatu.

Six other Pacific countries recognize Taiwan, which China sees as part of its territory.

The largest amount of aid over 2006-16 -- US$632.46 million -- went to PNG, the Lowy Institute said.