Geopolitical apathy can make foreign disasters dangerous for Australia

In 2015, in an address to the Harvard Divinity School, Ogyen Trinley Dorje, the 17th Tibetan Karmapa prophetically said that:

“The most dangerous thing in the world is apathy.”

Karmapa’s comment is helpful in assessing the international response to catastrophic events.

Provided their livelihood and comforts are unaffected, people often display an apathetic attitude to world events and, instead, focus on domestic and personal concerns.

The recent earthquake in Vanuatu has provided me with an example of apathy, confirming the veracity of Karmapa’s insightful comment.

On Tuesday, 17 December I was scheduled to fly to Port Vila, Vanuatu. I had bought my Qantas airfare and accommodation with my frequent flyer points, and I was looking forward to a week’s contemplation, reflection, and thinking about the future, following the passing of my wife in late October. The departure from Brisbane was delayed by more than one hour, apparently because the necessary customs documents had not yet been completed.

About thirty minutes before landing, the captain announced that a huge earthquake made it impossible to land because the authorities had closed the airport; and the terminal and the runway had sustained severe damage. The Qantas Sydney operations centre ordered the captain to fly to Noumea, New Caledonia for refuelling, and then return to Brisbane.

A thought about the devastating earthquake of 17 December comes to mind. It is fortunate that my Qantas plane’s departure was delayed in Brisbane because, if it had left on time, the passengers would have been in the airport terminal of Port Vila when the earthquake struck Vanuatu.

One would expect that, soon after it occurred, the fatal earthquake would be well-known throughout Australia and the world. However, the next day, when I sought reimbursement, some tourist providers claimed not to know anything about the earthquake and one even insisted that, having taken the flight to Vanuatu, I must be in Port Vila. This ignorance is baffling and caused me to consider how widespread apathy really is in society. More importantly, what are the consequences of this ignorance?

People may focus, for a brief time, on the reconstruction effort and the restoration of the Vanuatuan holiday economy. But, displaying an apathetic attitude, they may well fail to consider the motivations of countries that provide emergency assistance, thereby disregarding the long-term geopolitical rivalry between China and Australia (and by extension the United States) to gain, or retain, considerable influence in this South Pacific paradise.

Soon after the earthquake struck, the China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA) announced that it would provide emergency assistance to Vanuatu. Among other assistance, Australia deployed a 64-person Disaster Assistance Response team to aid in search and rescue operations. RAAF Globemaster and Hercules aircraft evacuated stranded Australians. Although these relief efforts are laudable, by now, it is well-known that China has been increasing its political leverage with South Pacific nations to buy their loyalty with its money diplomacy (or debt-trap diplomacy), thereby effectively turning the recipient state into a vassal country.

Considering this development, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) published an article by Jessica Caterson that predicts that China will likely increase its influence in the South Pacific.

Also, China has already concluded a security arrangement with the Solomon Islands which provides for the deployment of armed police, military personnel and law enforcement forces.  Its long-term intention may be gleaned from its monumental build-up of military equipment and destructive offensive weapons. China’s periodic use of scare tactics to subjugate Taiwan do not leave anything to imagination. Its intentions, exemplified by the de facto creation of a new military axis with Russia, Iran and North Korea surely reinforce this concern.

To counter China’s influence, and resist the militarisation of the South Pacific, the announcement by Anthony Albanese, and Jeremiah Manele to grow the size and capability of the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force – a package worth $190 million – and to establish a training facility for police in Honiara, is a welcome development. Similarly, the Australia-Tuvalu Falepii Union Treaty to safeguard the future of Tuvalu and to explore and strengthen collaboration is another example of Australia’s involvement with the South Pacific, and an effective way to counter the significant inroads made by China in this part of the world.

Australia’s geopolitical interest in the South Pacific is, however, restricted by its adherence to the “One China Policy.” This policy, initially embraced for appeasement purposes, has contributed to the unstable and dangerous situation that is now unfolding, not only in the South China Sea, but also in the South Pacific. This situation is the result of the unwillingness of the West, since the early 1970s, to implement the principles of self-determination, democracy, and human rights.

In the world of politics, principles are irrelevant if they hinder the achievement of tangible trade and economic benefits and the creation of profitable export markets. Consequently, the South Pacific is well on its way to ‘Chinafication’ which, eventually, could endanger the sovereignty of Australia. It is against this background that we might consider China’s rescue and search mission in Vanuatu, and Australia’s recent strengthening of ties with South Pacific nations, including Vanuatu.

To assess the impact of a country’s assistance to Vanuatu (and other countries), one should consider the motivations of the donor country. Ideally, a desire to empathise with the Vanuatuan people and to alleviate the horrendous consequences of the earthquake should be the dominant motivation for the relief and assistance efforts. But China’s generous assistance to Vanuatu could hide an ulterior motive and pose a potential threat to the traditional sphere of influence of Australia in the region.

Hence, whilst Vanuatu desperately needs assistance, it is nevertheless prudent to evaluate the motivations of the countries that provide relief. In doing so, it might be possible to convert Karmapa’s statement that “the most dangerous thing in the world is apathy” into an opportunity to enhance Australia’s role in the South Pacific and to protect its sovereignty.

This is important because what is an economic emergency today could easily become a military emergency in the future.

Gabriël Moens is an Emeritus Professor of Law at the University of Queensland, and during his distinguished career he also taught extensively in the United Kingdom, Germany, Belgium, Italy, Austria, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, China, Hong Kong, Japan and the United States. He served as Pro Vice Chancellor and as a Dean at Murdoch University. He also served as Head, Graduate School of Law, The University of Notre Dame Australia.

In 1999 he received the Australian Award for University Teaching in Law and Legal Studies. In 2003 the Prime Minister of Australia awarded him the Australian Centenary Medal for services to education. Prof. Moens is also an extensively published author and serves on the Editorial Board of Locke Press.