PARTNERS IN THE BLUE PACIFIC- PBP

1. BACKGROUND

• AMID CHINA’S aggressive push to increase its Pacific sphere of influence, the US and its allies — Australia, New Zealand, Japan and the UK — have launched a new initiative called ‘Partners in the Blue Pacific For“effective and efficient cooperation” with the region's small island nations.

2. The initiative 

• The PBP is a five-nation“informal mechanism ”to support Pacific islands and boost diplomatic, and economic ties in the region. 
• Its peaks of enhancing “prosperity, resilience, and security” in the Pacific through closer cooperation.
• ItsimplymeansthatthroughthePBP, these countries –together and individually–will direct more resources here to counter China’s aggressive outreach. The initiative members have declared they will “elevate Pacific regionalism”, forge stronger ties with the Pacific Islands Forum, and will be guided by the island nations on the selection of flagship projects

3. The contemporary relevance

• The geostrategic competition in the region has intensified of late, particularly after China made the projected scope of its growing footprint clear in May by pushing for a sweeping, common cooperation agreement —the Common Development Vision—with 10 Pacific nations.
• Despite that deal running aground, China indicated that it would continue pursuing this goal. In April, it signed a security pact with the Solomon Islands.
• The deal, a step forwarding Beijing’s quest to dominate crucial shipping lanes crisscrossing the region, flagged serious concerns about the Chinese military getting a base in the south Pacific, close to the US island territory of Guam, and right next to Australia and NewZealand. 
• It finally triggered urgent moves to counter China’s growing Pacific Ambition.

4. The significance of the Region

• In its 2019 strategy report, the US Department of Defence called the IndoPacificthe“single most consequential region for America's future".It Said: “Spanning a Vast stretch of the globe from the west coast of the United States to the western shores of India, the region is home to the world's most populous state (China), most populous democracy(India), and largest Muslim-majority state(Indonesia), and includes over half of the earth’s population. 
• Among the 10 largest standing armies in the world, reside 
• In the Indo-Pacific; 6 countries in the region possess nuclear weapons. 
• Nine of the world's 10 busiest seaports are in the region, and 60 per cent of global maritime trade transits through Asia, with roughly one-third of global shipping passing through the South China Sea alone.” 
• The US has long maintained a balanced power in the region with its hub-and-spokes system where America Is the hub and its allies are spokes, with their security guaranteed by the US military power