The rejection of China’s deal shows the Pacific will not be used as a geopolitical pawn | Henry Ivarature

Pacific leaders have sent a strong message that countries who want to partner with them must treat them with respect and take action on climate change

Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi is nearing the end of a marathon tour of eight Pacific states. By Saturday, he will have visited Solomon Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Samoa, Tonga, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, and Timor-Leste.

While Wang will come away with multiple bilateral economic and development agreements, he will not return to China with the big prize - a comprehensive security treaty, which would have seen a reconfiguration of the political landscape in the Pacific, which 10 Pacific states declined to sign at a virtual meeting on Monday.