China Reviving World War II Airfield in America's Backyard
NewsweekMAY 21
Taiwan, Marshall Islands Sign Security Pact
Above: The national flags of Taiwan (L), the Marshall Islands (C), and Guatemala are seen outside the Taiwan Presidential Office Building on June 5, 2025. Image copyright: I-Hwa Cheng/Contributor/AFP via Getty Images
The Spin
Anti-China narrative
Security pacts like this underscore the critical role of small Pacific nations in countering China's Pacific encroachment. As China deepens ties with other Pacific islands through forums like the Xiamen meeting, it exploits fuzzy sovereignty boundaries to gain strategic footholds. Nations like the Marshall Islands, tied to the U.S., are vital to resisting Beijing's influence and securing the region.
Pro-China narrative
China's Pacific island diplomacy rightly counters Western dominance led by the U.S. and its allies. The Taiwan-Marshall Islands pact is a Western ploy to encircle China, ignoring the globally understood one-China principle. By fostering development and sovereignty in nations like the Marshall Islands, China resists U.S. neocolonial tactics, offering other island nations genuine partnership, not control.