Doubts cast on US aims in Pacific region

With summit, island nations likely seen as pawns, not partners, analysts say

With the US hosting a summit of Pacific island leaders this week, some experts are questioning whether Washington's objective is to treat the nations as part of a geopolitical strategy rather than as partners.

"The US tends to see all policy actions through the geostrategic and national security lens," Sourabh Gupta, a senior fellow at the Institute for China-America Studies in Washington, told China Daily.

"As such, the Pacific island countries, despite having a population of less than 10 million, are first and foremost seen as ramparts constituting the second-island chain line of defense. For China, on the other hand, these countries are development partners."