China and Pacific Islands: A shared history

Seven decades ago, no one could have predicted that the Chinese government would have succeeded in the transition from an agrarian society to one of the most powerful economies in the world.

No one could have anticipated that China would be able to grow its GPD at an average of 10 percent per year, lifting more than 800 million people out of poverty, becoming the second-largest economy in the world, projected to surpass the US economy soon, consecutively being ranked number one in PISA international student assessment, sending astronauts into space and divers to the deepest oceans, creating one of the largest economic miracles in the later 20th century.

But we all know that Chinese success did not happen by chance. China's success is built upon its inseparable three-legged brazier: strong and farsighted leadership, hard work and courageous decisions.

Visionary government: over the years the Chinese government has remained focused on economic growth, implementing quickly and successfully effective policy decisions and strategically investing its resources into higher education, computer science, biotechnological engineering, law, economics, management.

Pragmatic attitude: the government's own cultural values and highly motivated and competitive human capital permitted China to stay focused: the crossroads of clear government oversight, talented work force, investment, technology…have been given primary importance.

Implementing vision: China had the foresight of establishing a number of flexible policies as investment zones, free trade zones, high-tech zones, and export processing zones, along with tax incentives and proper infrastructure.

Today, through President Xi Jinping-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, China is prepared to share with the world the experience and fruits of all these formative years. Pacific countries adhere to this vision and the new paradigm China is offering to the world. We believe that the BRI will promote integration by inclusiveness and have a positive impact on trade, foreign investment, income, the well-being of the population.

Maybe even more importantly, the BRI has given us, Pacific Islanders, an alternative to the actual system we have grown up in. Thanks to the BRI new paradigm, we now understand that Western political systems have short-term thinking, undervalue dimensions that add color to our lives, and are no longer synonymous with "market", "trade" "wellbeing", nor "freedom".

We have also understood that tomorrow's global economic rivalry will not only be a competition on nation governance, but also a competition on its human capital and cultural values. We will need both to advance our overall nations wellbeing.

This is why China has become the rightful new model for emerging economies.

And for us Pacific Islanders, when the Western narrative everywhere is replacing the geographical and historical accurate notion of "Asia-Pacific" by a fabricated "Indo-Pacific" deception, the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China resonates particularly strongly to us, for a long tradition of friendship and kinship binds our two regions.

According to current data from archaeology, linguistics, botany and science, the cradle of our Polynesian ancestors (from Palau to Easter Islands, Hawaii to New Zealand, via Tahiti), is to be sought along the eastern coast of China. Some 3,500 years ago, our common ancestor achieved a unique feat in the history of mankind: a systematic colonization of the world's largest ocean, the Pacific. It was also the first technological migration: our ancestors didn't just walk, they built large sailing canoes and applied extremely sophisticated knowledge of the environment: ocean, waves, sky, stars, fishing, food treatment.

Throughout this oceanic adventure, from west to east, a space without borders, generations after generations of craftsmen, sailors, sailors, fishermen, farmers, hunters, warriors, artists built the Pacific Islands.

This historical truth can and will never be taken away.

We are convinced that it is through dialogue and mutual respect that peace and prosperity will be built for the development and well-being of our regions. Today, the Pacific region stands even stronger as Solomon's Islands has just normalized relations with China!

On this very special anniversary, it is therefore as a family, a distant family, but a family nevertheless, that we wish the best to the People's Republic of China on this 70th anniversary of its founding!

Hiria Ottino is President of the Council on Pacific Affairs.

The opinions expressed here are those of the writer and do not represent the views of China Daily and China Daily website.