The Solomon Islands and Kiribati switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 2019. Immediately following Taiwan's latest elections, Nauru said it was cutting diplomatic ties with the island and switching back to Beijing.

This was not only a diplomatic setback to the authorities in Taiwan, but apparently raised eyebrows in neighboring Australia. After all, following the recent clamor about the Solomon Islands' security and policing pacts with China, quite a few in Australia and other Western countries are concerned about the growing Chinese influence in the region.

Speaking of Nauru's diplomatic turnaround, Chinese Ambassador to Australia Xiao Qian told the media it was Nauru's "own choice" and it would not affect its relations with Australia. China's cooperation with the Solomon Islands "is not a strategy for military security", he said. "It's a strategy to help policing" to help maintain social stability and basic public order. Therefore, there is "no need for any so-called anxiety on the part of Australia".

China's engagement with the Pacific island countries is for the development of bilateral trade relations for which social stability is necessary. Although many in Australia see the Chinese presence as a potentially threatening development regarding the region as Australia's backyard, Beijing believes it should adopt a more open perspective.

"Pacific island countries are an area where China and Australia can cooperate and can contribute together instead of asking them to choose between the two," Xiao said. Much of what China is doing actually aligns with what Australia and its Western allies claim they are committed to. In this sense, there indeed is plenty of room for cooperation, rather than strategic rivalry.

This is both possible and necessary as China and Australia are working to repair their relations. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's November visit to Beijing, the first in seven years by an Australian leader, was a turning point for bilateral ties. Xiao expressed China's desire "to continue the good momentum" in further improving the relationship. He even indicated bilateral collaboration should extend to security.

"The defense relationship between our two countries is an area really we need to put more inputs and work harder on," Xiao said. "This is an area that is so important to the mutual trust and confidence between our two countries and two peoples. If you can have trust between two militaries, you have real trust."

Defense cooperation may be hard to come by given the influence that the US exerts on Australia in this area. But if Australia stopped clinging to its Anglo-Saxon identity and found the courage to stop playing the role of a military outpost of the US, it would be better able to embrace the congruence of being an Asia-Pacific country and build trust with China.