Pale Sofia

The decline of the “Pacific Power”: the US quickly lose their weight in Oceania

ЮГО-ВОСТОЧНАЯ АЗИЯ: АКТУАЛЬНЫЕ ПРОБЛЕМЫ РАЗВИТИЯ, 2017, №36, 58-68

 
Annotation: After Donald Trump had come to power as the US President in 2017, the relations between Washington and the South Pacific states changed drastically. The implementation of such Trump’s policies as trade protectionism and antiglobalization resulted in the US withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement that worsened the relations with the island states of Oceania. More troubles followed when the US withdrew from the negotiations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership initiated by New Zealand and Australia. The most unpleasant issue in the American-South Pacific relations was Trump’s stoking tension with North Korea, which could have lead to a nuclear conflict and thus affect, first of all, Australia, Guam, the Marshall Islands and many other territories. As a result, the South Pacific states lost confidence in the USA. Yet, China quickly refills the niches left by the USA, achieving it, as usual, with its “soft power” that never fails and brings much benefit to the whole South Pacific region.

Keywords: South Pacific region, Oceania, USA, Donald Trump, China