A warning has been sounded in Madang, Papua New Guinea on the Chinese threat to the Pacific

Source: Tonga Daily News

Madang, Papua New Guinea: 9am (PCC/NETANI RIKA):Regional governments must seriously address China’s attempts to control fishing, timber, animal and mineral resources.

New Zealand activist and landowner Carmen Hatakere said China-based business ventures were making a massive push into the Pacific and landowners must be mentally prepared.

“Our governments only look at these moves as investments which bring in revenue,” Hatakere told 200 people from around the region gathered at the Madang Wansolwara Dance in Papua New Guinea.

“We must look at their approaches in a manner in which we can protect our resources. Sell what we can but care for the environment and maximize profits for the landowners.”

The week-long Wansolwara Dance organized by the Pacific Conference of Churches, the Pacific Network on Globalisation and Bismarck Ramu Group aims to design a landowner-friendly economics and development guide.

Mr Hatakere said landowning units in New Zealand had started to design economic models in which the landowners controlled the amount of fish stocks and timber taken by investors.

At the same time landowners received first right of refusal for jobs and were encouraged to enter into joint ventures with foreign investors.

“We must become involved not only to protect our heritage and the environment but to ensure that the profits are retained as much as possible by the people. Government can get its share through taxes.”

Pacific activists, students, church leaders and civil society organizations were encouraged to adopt similar models in their own countries.

Participants said they recognized that governments were lured to open up their countries to investors by promises of foreign aid.

They warned, however, that landowners must seek advice and help from credible sources in order to have a say on how their resources were used.