China: Samoa’s Most Favoured Nation.

Australia remains the biggest foreign aid donor to the South Pacific Region, primarily to PNG and Vanuatu, giving well over $7billion AUD per annum, followed by the United States which is concentrated in their military territories in Micronesia and American Samoa, followed by Japan. China, however, has accelerated their donations to the region within half a decade, and, in particular, the Chinese have given a substantial aid to Samoa.

Samoa has been earmarked by the Chinese government as a most favourable nation status in the South Pacific. This elevation of Chinese influence in Samoa has recently increased for political strategic reasons in order to increase the Chinese geo-political influence in the Pacific region.

Comparably, the Chinese have also begun an accelerated foreign aid program to African nations as well in a beyond the Asian borders expansion of Chinese geo-political influence

Specifically, for Samoa, the largest traditional donor remains New Zealand. However, stronger Asian economies have asserted their influence most notably from the Chinese, Japanese and Koreans.

Australia still dominate the financial institutions of Samoa, therefore, Australia remains the commercial epi-centre for Samoan banking and financial influence.

Most recently, China has increasingly become the most favoured nation for Samoa's national interest, moreso, than New Zealand, Australia and America in geo-political and economic matters.

The relationship between Samoa and China have accelerated recently in light of the South China Sea tensions, the brokering of a military and infrastructural development agreement between China and Philippines has dramatically increased the Chinese sphere of influence in South East Asia.

The recent $40 million foreign aid to Samoa announced last week by the Samoan Prime Minister has sealed a warm and closer relationship between Samoa and China.

American geo-political and economic influence, in Samoa, is minimal obviously due to their direct territorial interests in American Samoa. In American Samoa like the Marshall Islands and Micronesian territories are American territorial influences primarily for military purposes.
Militarily, Samoans rely almost entirely on New Zealand and Australia for its National Defence.

Timoteo Tufuga

Source:




1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China%E2%80%93Samoa_relations

2. http://www.samoagovt.ws/2016/10/samoa-china-agreement-signed/