China rethinks Pacific aid methods
Updated
Australia's Parliamentary Secretary for Pacific Island Affairs Duncan Kerr is confident China is willing to change how it presently carries out development assistance in the Pacific.
Mr Kerr is in China as part of a 10-member Pacific Forum delegation to discuss Chinese investment and development assistance to the region.
The group learnt that trade between China and the Pacific could exceed $US 2 billion this year increasing to $US 3 billion by 2010.
Mr Kerr says the issue of China cooperating more closely with other donor nations was also raised.
"To work harmoniously with other multi-lateral donors that is something that is relatively new to China but we had an encouraging response."
It comes as Taiwan is being reported as also moving away from so-called dollar diplomacy in the region.
Mr Kerr says this is probably due to a realisation that money politics destabilises the Pacific.
