Beijing was targeting its Pacific aid to new diplomatic allies Solomon Islands and Kiribati while Chinese financial support across the region continued to decline, the Lowy Institute reported on Monday in its latest annual analysis of regional assistance.
China's aid to the Pacific has fallen from a peak of USD 287 million in 2016 to USD 187 million in 2020 — the lowest level since 2008, when the Sydney-based international policy think tank began quantifying support for developing island nations in the Pacific.
At the same time, pandemic response measures drove Pacific aid to a record USD 4.25 billion in 2020, a 47 per cent increase on the previous year, Lowy's Pacific Aid Map report showed.