12 - Geopolitics in the Pacific Century

Summary

The twenty-first century has long been touted as the era in which the centre of gravity in world affairs will shift decisively towards the broad Asia-Pacific region. Concerns have centred on the rise of China and are implicit in the promotion of a ‘free and open Indo-Pacific’. The Island Pacific now looms larger in geopolitical calculations, with various strategies of ‘rebalancing’, ‘stepping up’ and ‘resetting’ by traditional partners – the US, Australia and New Zealand, among others – in response to perceived challenges from China. The latter also asserts that its own development partnerships fall under the rubric of ‘South–South’ cooperation. Identity politics also figures in ongoing concerns surrounding Indonesia and West Papua – concerns that have become increasingly internationalized within Oceania and beyond. Both Indonesia/West Papua and the role of China raise issues of colonialism or neocolonialism, and both cases invite a reassessment of conventional postcolonial approaches.