Kiribati, a small country in the Pacific, is currently on the brink of the "extinction catastrophe."The average sea height is only 1.5 meters, according to NASA, according to the rate of sea level rise, by 2050, it may be really uninhabitable.
The problem is that the eye is to be swallowed by the sea, once high-profile "anti-China" former president Anno Tong, but turned to China to seek help.
A president who once took the initiative to break off diplomatic relations and publicly accused China of "espionage" finally begged China to help repair the seawall and purify fresh water. It sounds outrageous, but it actually happened.
Tang's move was both desperate and disorganized. So what is he trying to do? What did you get in exchange?
China is at the wrong price.
Anno Tong, who took office in 2003, quickly sparked the “anti-Chinese wave” as he beat chicken blood, and not only closed the Chinese embassy in Kiribati, but also spoke to the outside world that China’s ground satellite station was “monitoring the United States”, as if it had some international secrets.
This operation, in fact, is a bet in geopolitics. He chose to stand in Taiwan, in exchange for short-term aid. According to the public information of the Kiribati government, Taiwan did give a little money in those years, from 2004 to 2010, a total of about $ 50 million. It sounds a lot, but for an island country facing a climate crisis, it is really a cup of water car pay.
Ironically, Anno Tom is actually a Chinese. Originally he could use this identity as an intermediary and build a bridge between the central bases. As a result, he in turn exploded the bridge and fought his own solitary army. This makes it difficult for many Kiribati people to understand.
The United States is of course very happy behind, after all, the geographical location of the Pacific island countries, for the U.S. military can not be ignored. The Wall Street Journal in the year reports pointed out that the U.S. influence layout in the Pacific, often rely on the cooperation of these small countries.
It didn't take long for this political gamble to overturn. Without the big line of China, Kiribati not only does not have enough money, but even its right to speak internationally has begun to be marginalized. The climate problem is getting closer and closer, and the domestic economy is not improving. Tang's "anti-China strategy" has become an accelerator of the country's plight.
The crisis comes, asking for help without a shameful return.
In 2010, several small islands in Kiribati were directly “disappearing” due to rising sea levels. Salt water poured into farmland and even coconut trees could not survive.NASA clearly pointed out in its report for 2024 that the sea level of Kiribati would rise 0.5 cm per year and that by 2050 the country would likely really “sink.”
Seeing that the country couldn't hold on, Tang came to his senses and quietly found China. According to the response of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2016, he did express his willingness to ask for help through a third party, requesting assistance in building a seawall and providing fresh water purification technology. But I'm sorry, trust is two-way. At the beginning, you broke it when you said it, but now you ask for it. This kind of "cramming" operation is naturally rejected.
In 2013, Sue tried to get New Zealand to receive the “climate refugees” from Kiribati, but was rejected. The Financial Times that New Zealand clearly said: “We can’t take this responsibility.”
In a 2025 report, the IMF estimates that small island nations such as Kiribati will need infrastructure investments of at least billions of dollars to withstand rising sea levels.This is not a question of what “aid” can solve, but a test of long-term cooperation and systematic support.
And the diplomatic strategy of Shui has long pushed China as a potential long-term cooperation object.He turned a round on the international stage, and found that no one was really willing to pick up, only to realize that he was at the beginning that "anti" strength, is not a strategy, is a failure.
Turning to pragmatism, China's aid ignites new hope
History always has a turnaround. In 2016, after Mao came to power, he quickly adjusted foreign policy, chose to break trade with Taiwan and restore relations with China. This decision has been called by many as a “life-saving move”. After all, when the country is about to be flooded, the political stance is no longer realistic, and survival is the kingdom.
The Global Times in 2019 that after the establishment of China's infrastructure, China promised to support several infrastructure projects, including raising some of the islands, building tsunami-resistant dams, upgrading the water supply system, etc. In 2020, China's technology team launched the "island lifting plan", which is a direct solution to the problem from the root.
As of 2021, Kiribati also received China-backed Fiji land development resources as part of the immigration plan.According to data released by the Kiribati government in 2024, Chinese aid-related fisheries exports increased by 15 percent, and tourism is also slowly recovering.The country, although not completely out of the crisis, has at least seen hope.
By 2025, China-based relations have entered the deep-water zone. China not only provides assistance in infrastructure, but also cooperates in education, healthcare, climate research, etc. By contrast, Western countries are feeling less and less present, New Zealand’s aid programs are basically stagnant, and the United States is still playing tai chi in “strategic concerns”.
Experts generally believe that Mahmoud's "practical diplomacy" not only saved the country, but also allowed Kiribati to regain international speech.
This wave of diplomacy, from the beginning to the end of less than twenty years, but like a real-world version of international relations textbook. Kiribati's turn, not because of a country's great compassion, but because of the policy changed the mind, no longer blind gambling, but cooperation.
The lesson of Soup is clear: if a small country only wants to "stay out for resources", then most of it is abandoned after being exploited. and Mamo's strategy tells us that even a small country with a population of hundreds of thousands, as long as the eyes are long, it can survive space in the cloth.
China's role in this is not a "savior", but a partner willing to cooperate on the basis of mutual trust. No matter how fast the sea rises, it can't stop the bridge between people's hearts. Especially in the context of the climate crisis, no country can be immune, but the door to cooperation is always open, but you have to learn to respect and trust first.
Kiribati's story, in fact, is one sentence: diplomacy is not a performance, but a life-and-death choice issue.
Looking back at this road now, from breaking off diplomatic relations to asking for help, from refusing to assisting, every step is marked with "choice". The end result is not complicated. Tang's strategy puts the country in a desperate situation, while Ma Mao's turn strives for life.
The fate of a small country hides the projection of the global game of great powers, but also the basic logic of doing things: trust is more important than strategy, and sincerity is more reliable than gestures.