Investigation: Why is China on the move in the South Pacific? | 60 Minutes Australia

there's trouble in paradise nations in the South Pacific are sick of us simply thinking of them as sunny playgrounds for postcard holidays many have significant problems which threaten their very existence in the last few months Scott Morrison has been trying to convince leaders around the Pacific that Australia is looking out for them and wants to help but the Prime Minister isn't receiving much thanks in return and that's because China is on the march and seems prepared to splash more of its cash in the region how it's doing that though as we discovered is alarming at times sinister right now in the Pacific seeing red has a lot of people seeing red two months ago the Pacific nation of Carabas switched its allegiance from Taiwan to communist China so this is very clearly somebody talen ism we're not being paranoid now as the first foreign journalists to try to report his sense we're under surveillance then house arrest three and a half thousand kilometres west in the Solomon Islands a glimpse of how China might by its alliances in the Pacific so they rang you and said we've got a million dollars for you if you come to the hotel and accept the switch to China yes and just to the north in war-torn Bougainville with its legendary gold mine we reveal a Chinese master plan you would be quite happy to do business with China oh yes how do you describe China's actions in the Pacific one word expansionist captain Jim Finnell was the intelligence chief of the US Navy's Pacific Fleet watching China's moves there on a daily basis now he's warning Pacific nations swaying to China's influence to be where China has told all these Pacific countries that it just wants to be their partner who wants to be involved economically do you not believe them well we have evidence that shows that when they say they want to be your economic partner the end result is they become your economic master China demands no country in its diplomatic sphere can recognize Taiwan and there's no doubt the communist superpower has a grand strategic plan in the Pacific extending its alliances further and further south and with those alliances massive infrastructure like this gigantic Wharf in Vanuatu that the country doesn't need but could dock an aircraft carrier with recent back-to-back recognition of China by the Solomon Islands and Carabas and possibly the soon to be independent Bougainville we asked Jim Finnell to join us on a Pacific mission to report on China's intentions they're interested in this area because it's essentially the lifeline or the the choke point between America and Australia and New Zealand China has built the Navy that people said they were never going to build China has deployed their fleet to places they said they were never going to deploy they believe that they're supposed to be the the rightful leaders of this new global order you know the British century the American Century now we're going to have the Chinese century that's their vision in September Menace Isayev are a prime minister of the Solomon Islands announced his country was ditching recognition of Taiwan chosen to be on the right side of history the Communist China a move deputy opposition leader Peter Ken alehrer says was more a dash for cash than considered diplomacy are you happy that your country has switched allegiances from a democracy to a communist state for me personally I'm not we should have taken our time and not be dictated and marching to the beats of a more dominant country is really China first not Solomon's first and here in the Solomons we found direct evidence the China's influence could have a sinister side so they rang you and said we've got a million dollars for you if you come to the hotel and accept the switch to China yes Daniel Sudan II is the premier of the Solomons largest island Malita he says he was offered a million dollar bribe to back his country switch to China you're suggesting that there are a lot of corrupt politicians in your government yes [Music] but a million dollars just to be pro-chinese I mean that's a hell of a way to do business oh it is it is a new way of doing things it's really dangerous you think there's one bag of money it's got to be more oh yeah yeah they don't come an old single weeks ahead of our visit we requested an interview with the Solomons Prime Minister about his sudden recognition of China while we're here we try again in person also wanting to ask him about his refusal to investigate the bribery allegations made by premier sue Danny as we're waiting a high-level Chinese delegation leaves the Prime Minister's office then hot on their heels Menace a saga VAR a himself hurries out head down and clearly in no mood to talk mr. Prime Minister 60 minutes Australia sir we just like to ask you a couple of questions about China mr. prime minister mr. prime minister can we ask you about the bribery money please amid all the claims of bribery corruption and kickbacks it appears the Chinese have another novel approach to increasing their presence here like leasing this entire island of Tuilagi for the next 75 years old ten square kilometers of it including the deepwater port oil and gas rights fishing rights forestry rights and tourism rights the Chinese want all of it and the locals are not impressed when I heard about it I thought that China is a communist country and we the Solomon Islands is a democratic country Margaret Manu is an unlikely enemy for China to make but here on Tuilagi where land ownership is matrilineal she's the voice of her people and the people here didn't want to be owned by the Chinese 60 minutes has obtained a copy of the lease document which is almost comical if it wasn't so sinister the agreement was signed by two ladies provincial leader who locals say hasn't been seen here since and luckily for Margaret and her people it was ruled unlawful when it became public so there was no consultation so the Chinese company just came in here and tried to have the agreement signed by one person and that was it that's what happened without that people knowing what's going on and what we're seeing now from our visits to the islands here is that the Chinese are coming in with soft power in lots of cash to buy out local officials to gain access to ports and airfields and resources that give them controlling monopoly in the islands and thus give them control over this vital sea lane coming up not welcome in paradise we're being followed by a government car why the government of pure of us there's something to do with the kinds of money that's being brought in doesn't like nosy reporters that's next of 60 minutes there's something both threatening and absurd about being tailed by a mysterious black sedan in a country that essentially has only one road it's mid-morning on our first day in Carabas the latest Pacific island nation to recognize Communist China and dump Taiwan we're being followed by a government car now whether that's curvas government or whether that's somebody from the government operating under Chinese instruction who knows very very strange thing to happen in a place like this with us is Captain Jim Finnell former intelligence chief of the US Navy's Pacific Fleet and someone who's witnessed firsthand how China does business in the Pacific it could be that the Chinese have said as part of this deal you're gonna have to pay more restrict attention to who's here and what they're doing few foreign journalists come here none since the country's abrupt switch of allegiance to China one reason is that Carabas requires a draconian film permit that journalists working in the region say is almost never granted and gives the government the right to completely censor any news reports we know we may meet trouble but have come anyway a move we'll soon find is supported by very senior figures in Pyramus is basically house arrest on arrival at our hotel were immediately placed under house arrest and threatened with imprisonment his pupils transmitted to self we are the sensitivities are running high here because Pyramus is critically important to China's Pacific master plan the immense swathe of Ocean Territory controlled by this tiny island nation is smack in the middle of a secure sea lane China wants to establish all the way to the Antarctic which it calls the blue economic passage so you think this blue economic passage as China puts it is is just the cover story it's just the start of what they want to do it's the start of a comprehensive plan that they have to dominate the region and at first it's with economic development but it will be followed by fishing fleets and maritime law enforcement and then eventually naval forces back at our hotel two very high-level visitors have demanded access to us despite the government agents guarding the entrance these guys have told us if we do anything they've made it quite clear today that if we leave the front door of this hotel will be put into a cell my target is the president the man on the right is Pyramus as founding father and first president sir era meyer to buy one of the most respected men in the south pacific with him his Carabas opposition leader tissa boo to Bonnie in this interview secretly filmed with their permission these senior figures told us we were right to come here without a permit also telling us there's media repression in their countries which has become more hardline since the current government's recognition of China I'm not surprised you know this is the action of a communist country no Genting us-bound sir era Maya and mr. t Bonnie also told us the Chinese doled out two hundred and fifty thousand dollars cash around these islands within weeks of Kira buses recognition of Beijing what sort of democratic country spies on journalists and puts them under house arrest we embarrassed to be part of that night will you be able to come to our aid if we get chucked in them so well it'll at least there's a little bit of democracy left on care of us perhaps safeguarded by the presence of these two men we were merely deported from Cubist's back to the Solomon Islands the following day why do you think the cure of US government is so paranoid about media crews telling the story of what's going on there well I think it's pretty clear that there's something to do with the kinds of money that's being brought in how that money's being distributed obviously would be something that they would probably not want people to know about or hear about [Music] and on the very day we arrived back in the Solomons an immense deal is announced for Chinese control of the country's only gold mine high above Honiara this is the goldrich mine it's an old gold mine that's been resurrected in the first major deal the Solomon Islands has done with China since it switched allegiances to the communist country incredibly China describes the 825 million dollar purchase and all the infrastructure it intends to build here as an early harvest and if you need evidence of advance Chinese planning we're told by a mine insider that the security guards uniforms complete with communist China's flag were ordered six months ago even though the diplomatic recognition that opened the way to this deal was only two months ago the Chinese will not only reap the direct profits from this gold mine but everything they build to service it roads railways and port facilities will remain in China's hands forever but just across the water there's potentially an even more glittering prize coming up that is truly enormous reasons when the biggest man-made hits in the world that Chinese want this piece of Bougainville China is now taking control of the South Pacific and why Australia is the big loser hysteria is making enemy other Bougainville that's next on 60 minutes on our tour of the Pacific we'd find conclusive proof of China's long-term planning for our region we're in Bougainville still part of Papua New Guinea but not for long next week it votes in a referendum on its independence Bougainville was one of the Forgotten campaigns of World War two but 516 Australians died here during the war 516 put that in context for me well that's comparable to Vietnam but veteran journalist Benbow Haines covered a far bloodier conflict here the Bougainville civil war where a rebel army fought New Guinea for independence and control of the fabulously wealthy Panguna gold mine over 10,000 people died between 1988 and 1998 they're given a small population here safe to say virtually every single family would have been affected one way or the other in small places like this every family was touched by the war one of the commanders of the Bougainville rebel army was general Sam : fully patient they they make war and we play the war now Benbow hain and I are headed to meet the general at his headquarters in the south of Bougainville main island it's hard to imagine fighting a war in this terrain harder still to imagine the infrastructure required to bring this place into the 21st century once it achieves independence but if it does general Kona is one of the leading contenders to become its first president supported by his formidable wife Jo see the general how confident are you that Bougainville will become independent I am sure I've seen if I'm going around the island north or south scene and have people expressing their feelings their views you've been campaigning relentlessly haven't you oh yes oh yes to make sure that they vote for independence but central to any hope Bergen Vil has of becoming a self-sustaining nation lies deep inland it's golden heart the mine called Panguna Benbow hain and i are being given rare access to this legendary place however look at that that is truly enormous one of the biggest man-made pits in the world it's estimated Panguna still holds nearly 60 billion dollars worth of gold and copper so that's what the war was all about and the future here too I guess yeah this is the mine that triggered the war and may well be key to the future of Bougainville it's an eerie place a frozen moment of the aftermath of water we make the Panguna rebel commander moses poppy ro who shows us the massive safe where the mines gold was once store now welded shut it contains the weapons his men laid down for peace how many weapons but if Bougainville is denied its independence by Papua New Guinea which has to ratify the referendum vote Moses as a Samba warning Moses is there any way in which those weapons would be used again when you see maybe boys coming again or we don't know in truth it's unthinkable but war will revisit this devastated place but restoring it to production seems almost equally impossible this mine is set to be the beating heart of a new Bougainville Republic and the blood pumping through it is destined to be foreign sourced the big question is will China win this - bogan will know is starting on a clean slate we will be looking at all our news what about China China inclusive yes China is the superpower in the world we are free Bougainville is free to be choosing whichever countries that we can have the best deal with on the eve of the independence vote an extraordinary revelation by general Konev a detailed plan for the complete infrastructure rebuild of the island and the plan is Chinese the first OVA has come from China this year with us we are still waiting for Australian Oprah USA offer over how they could support Bougainville roads ports and Airport all to be built by China but the general is adamant it's only because Australia and the US have offered nothing of the sort Australia even refused the general a visa an almost unforgivable insult you're saying if Australia is truly genuine you want an apology and you want us to do more now that's why I feel Australia is making an enemy out of sin Australia is making enemy out of Bougainville when they give me the treatment observing this with us is Captain Jim Finnell the former intelligence commander of the US Pacific Fleet who's been with us on this trip there's been no previous inkling that China has such a long term master plan for Bougainville and as our last stop it's alarming news for this experienced China watcher if Bougainville becomes the world's newest country that's quite a prize for China as now yes it is and it sets up but with the the flip that Kier Abbas and the flip in the Solomons and what they're doing in Vanuatu what they're doing in Fiji you start to see a trend line here which is that China is now taking control of the South Pacific and so I think that's why you're starting to see some change in the United States for instance and even in your own government in Australia where people are starting to say if we don't stand up and check China's expansionism we will be ruled by them in another 25 or 30 years hello I'm Liam Bartlet thanks for watching so keep up with the latest from 60 minutes Australia make sure you subscribe to our channel you can also download the 9 now app for full episodes and other exclusive 60 minutes content

Channel: 60 Minutes Australia

Views: 5,832,227

Keywords: 60 Minutes, 60 Minutes Australia, Liz Hayes, Charles Wooley, Tara Brown, Liam Bartlett, Allison Langdon, Tom Steinfort, Ellen Fanning, Peter Overton, Karl Stefanovic, Ray Martin, Jana Wendt, Jeff McMullen, Jennifer Byrne, Mike Munro, Richard Carleton, Tracey Curro, Peter Harvey, George Negus, Ian Leslie, Gerald Stone, Sarah Abo, china, communist, politcs, take over, vanuatu, samoa, kiribati, detained

Id: BzCqQKnF9Oo

Length: 22min 52sec (1372 seconds)

Published: Sun Nov 17 2019