Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Australian counterpart Penny Wong are touring the South Pacific this week.

At a virtual meeting, foreign ministers from eight Pacific Island nations agreed to cooperate with China in five areas, including health, disaster management, and agriculture. But Wang said more discussion was needed on the Beijing-proposed China-Pacific Island Countries Common Development Vision.

Canberra has been trying to thwart that plan by sending Foreign Minister Penny Wong to the region. In a speech to the Pacific Islands Forum in Fiji, Wong positioned her country as a reliable partner “that doesn’t come with strings attached”.

So, is this a battle for influence between China on one side and the U.S. and its allies on the other?

Host Zhao Ying is joined by Dr. Iati Iati from Victoria University of Wellington, Prof. Joseph Siracusa at Curtin University in Australia, and Prof. Zha Daojiong from School of International Studies at Peking University.