Values Over Money: Former Diplomat Says Beijing Unlikely to Win Over the Pacific

Beijing’s efforts to extend its influence in the South Pacific is unlikely to undermine the West’s relationship with the region, says a former diplomat. Mr. Kemish, Australia’s former ambassador to Germany and high commissioner to Papua New Guinea, said Australian authorities were engaged in a “contest of values” for the region. “Our identity ultimately cannot be underestimated, in my view, as an important factor in our ability to influence the region,” he told an audience in Brisbane on June 12. “And let’s be clear about it. The region is contested, and the contest is a contest of values.”...