Aid or trade?

The Pacific is either one of the most aid dependent regions in the world, or its countries are on the brink of graduating to developed country status, thanks to new trade deals like Pacer Plus. Depends who you talk to.

One thing is sure, the region is now a hotspot for global power plays - China, Taiwan, the US, Australia, Japan, Russia, even Israel and of course us, are all competing for influence. The Pacific is suffering donor fatigue with the number of times we’ve all ‘refreshed’, ‘reset’, and ‘stepped up’ the relationship.

To work out where Pacific development is headed, Josie Pagani is joined by Keawe Woodmore, senior Foreign Affairs offical overseeing the Pacific trade deal ‘Pacer Plus’, Peter Faafiu, a former trade negotiator and partner at Navigator Limited, and Barry Coates, trade campaigner and former Green MP.

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