By South China Morning Post | Created at 2025-01-01 04:01:23 | Updated at 2025-01-04 00:26:50
2 days ago
China sent a team of four technical specialists to Vanuatu to help with earthquake recovery efforts this week, in a Pacific islands first for Beijing as it steps up engagement with nations in the region.
Foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said on Monday that the team would conduct scientific surveys on structures in the hardest-hit areas, as well as safety assessments and studies on secondary disaster risks.
A 7.3-magnitude earthquake hit the Pacific island nation in mid-December, killing at least 14 people, injuring more than 200 others, and causing major damage to infrastructure. A 6.1-magnitude quake followed on December 22.
It is the first time Beijing has sent a technical team to a country in the Pacific islands, an area where China is looking to develop closer relations.
Ian Chong, an associate professor of political science at the National University of Singapore, said the assistance was part of Beijing’s diplomatic playbook.
“Assistance and aid are among the tools that China uses to build ties. [The recovery support from Beijing is] consistent with its efforts elsewhere around the world. This is especially apparent in places that are less developed and poorer,” Chong said.
