The Blue Pacific in Search of a Collective Identity: Towards Success in Regional Security amid US–China Rivalry

Abstract

The Pacific Islands region has emerged as one of the central areas where the geopolitical rivalry between the United States and China is playing out. Thus, to safeguard their own interests, the Pacific Island countries have attempted to manage the competing policies of these external partners. This study focuses the recent adoption of the ‘Blue Pacific concept’ to examine how Pacific Island countries attempt to influence the engagement of their external partners in the region. The formation of the ‘Blue Pacific’ identity must be understood as a mutual process between the Pacific Islands countries and their external partners because they are seeking cooperation with these partners to address the security concerns. We find that the ‘Blue Pacific’ identity formation aligns with region-building, which allows the Pacific Islands countries to stress their own security issues. This study highlights the challenges and opportunities of constructing a collective identity in this context. Finally, the effectiveness of the Blue Pacific strategy remains debatable, although it has yielded success in gaining recognition and support from the external partners.