Kiribati votes to test pro-China government

Tarawa, Kiribati —

Polls closed in the Pacific nation of Kiribati on Wednesday, ending a campaign dominated by concerns about the cost of living, rising sea levels and questions about the benefits of closer ties with China.

Voters chose a group of lawmakers to represent their nation of 130,000 people made up of more than a dozen islands and atolls bordering the International Date Line.

The vote comes as China, the United States and their allies compete for influence in the Pacific.

The outgoing president, Taneti Maamau, 63, is seeking to extend his term by nearly ten years.

Maamau has moved Kiribati closer to Beijing, betting that ties with the world’s second-largest economy will help it meet ambitious 2036 development goals.

Ruth Cross Kwansing, candidate for the South Tarawa region, said she decided to run to help the people of Kiribati “develop and prosper”.

But she acknowledged the existence of superpower rivalry in her corner of the Pacific, telling AFP there was room for cooperation with Beijing and Washington.

Although there were serious concerns about the resumption of relations with China four years ago, she said things had been “nothing but positive”.

“China has succeeded in building friendship with the people of Kiribati,” she said.

She thinks the biggest question if Maamau gets another term would be: “What happens in relations with the United States?”

“Historic achievements”

The turnout appears to have been high.

A thatched polling station in Banraeaba village, home to about 2,875 people, was packed at noon, with voters complaining as more people arrived.

Police were called in to manage the flow of voters, who sat cross-legged trying to entertain children while they waited to vote.

An officer helped set up a makeshift booth, using curtains made of string and rice bags, to speed up the process.

Ahead of the vote, Chinese Ambassador Zhou Limin praised Maamau’s government and its “historic achievements.”

“Over the past year, I have observed an increase in the number of cars on the roads, a wider range of products in supermarkets and new entertainment equipment in playgrounds, which is strong evidence of the improvement in the quality of life for the people of Kiribati,” he wrote.

Some residents saw less reason to celebrate and complained about the rapidly rising cost of living.

Consumer prices rose by more than 9% last year, according to official data.

Some fear that despite faster economic growth, closer ties with China have fueled what a former Kiribati president described as creeping authoritarianism.

In recent years, Maamau has suspended two High Court judges, expelling one who is the partner of a Kiribati opposition leader.

He also signed a secret police agreement that allowed uniformed Chinese officers to be sent to the capital Tarawa.

Beijing’s rotating cadre of police advisers have apparently been sent to help train Kiribati’s under-equipped police force.

However, some Western analysts say Chinese activities in Kiribati — from police deployment to surveying a new runway on Kanton Island and extensive marine mapping — are a foothold for establishing a larger security footprint.

Graeme Smith of the Australian National University said sending police to Kiribati gave Beijing “another channel of intelligence about what’s going on in the country…another line of reporting in addition to their diplomats.”

“Change direction”

Despite China’s generosity, a significant cut in foreign aid – as well as a massive increase in civil servant salaries – means Kiribati’s budget deficit is set to soar to 9.7% of GDP this year, according to forecasts by the Asian Development Bank.

Voters hurt by inflation may decide it’s time for a change of approach.

“If Maamau doesn’t come back and the opposition faction does, it could completely change the direction in Kiribati,” Jon Fraenkel, a political science professor at Victoria University of Wellington, told AFP.

Parliament will resume on September 13, when a new president and presidential candidates will be chosen.

Kiribati, a low-lying state, faces a range of economic and environmental challenges, including rising sea levels that regularly contaminate scarce supplies of drinking water.

While the outer atolls are already threatened by coastal erosion, Tarawa has become one of the most densely populated places in the world, on a par with Tokyo.

The inhabitants are plagued by contagious diseases and other symptoms of overcrowding.