In brief 2021/34 Pacπc Reeac Pam An Initiative of the Australian Aid Program The Proliferation of External Geographies in Oceania: ‘It is Nice to be Relevant’ Henryk Szadziewski DOI 10.25911/0PAP-B181  December 2021 Oceania has become the subject of a proliferation of new policies towards it by external powers (Smith and Wesley-Smith 2021). The economic presence of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) is a leading fac π e deee f ee Pacπc aeda opening a new era of uncertain political and economic competition. The arrival of Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative in the region has only heightened the strategic aπe f e US Aaπa ad e eʼn I  and in response to several high-level diplomatic visits  Oceaπa e eπde f Kππbaπ Ae T eaed  ‘I π πce  be eea’ T ʼn Gπe e πde ae f Pacπc πππaπe ed π d ee a ecπeʼn Wππ e Pacπc Iad F PIF ae π Oceaπa ee    dπeπf eaπ bed fe ad ce cπa e b a πππe a ecπ eeecπe c a the climate crisis. Aaπa ad Ne Zeaad ae aced a recommitment to Oceania after a period of perceived eecʼn I  Aaπa decaed a ‘Pacπc Se’ as part of a white paper  feπ πcʼn Te Se cbπed π  π e Aaπa Iface Fπacπ Facππ aπed  ‘eae π e Pacπc π eae πeπ ad abππ deπe e πeaed ad πaπe πc ad ae fe substantial long-term investments in the region’s deee’ʼn I  e feπ ππe Wπ Pee aced Ne Zeaad’ Pacπc Ree πc πed e πcπe f deadπ fπedπ a bee cecπe abππ ad aπabππ to bring shared prosperity with states in Oceania. The Pacπc Se ad Pacπc Ree πc dce both cite China’s increased political and economic presence as a rationale to elevate engagement. The 2018 US Strategic Framework for the Indo- Pacπc eeaed π Jaa  πed a  ee e eπe Pacπc Iad eπ ‘aπed π e United States’. The US’ IdPacπc ae πaπ a defece πc πae e eaee f c geopolitical goals with geoeconomics. The strategy prioritises the maintenance of a US-led dominance over a cecπe aea ceπ  ceaʼn Mee a  US Department of Defense report not only outlines the US’ ππca caπ  a IdPacπc eece b a its leadership in ensuring a networked space upholding ‘e πeaπa ebaed de’ US Deae of Defense 2019:5). There is no ambivalence in naming e fe caee  π de π e dce ππ  e ‘Cπa ea’ ad ecedπ enhanced security efforts between allied nations to ee a ‘fee’ ad ‘e’ eπʼn I a e dπeced aac ad Oceaπa e US πππaed e Pacπc Pledge f e IdPacπc Sae π Ocbe ʼn The subsequent focus on pandemic recovery and the ec aaπ aea  cee π e aaπabππ of Chinese state capital and iterative donations of personal protective equipment and COVID-19 vaccines. Fe π eeππaππ  cea ace π e aea f aeπc πee e US eππ ecπc bee  ‘fee faπ ad ecπca ade baed  e πee aae aeee ad cecππ’ πbπdʼnʼn Te IdPacπc cce a generated new arrangements aimed at containment of Cπa c a e Qadπaea Secπ Dπae e Qad cππ e US Aaπa Idπa ad Jaa eac π eπ  IdPacπc πcπeʼn 1 Wπ e de eff e eea ae are (re)engaging with Oceania. Formerly an extensive cπa e π e eπ e UK  edced  e Pπcaπ Iad aced a Pacπc Uπf in 2019. I J f e ae ea Laa Cae Bππ Hπ Cππe  Ne Zeaad adπed ‘πe fa e eed bac  c f  Pacπc fπed ad ae’ Cae ʼn A ed b e UK’   eπde aeπ π aπcπaπ f π Jaa  eπ f e Eea Uπ EU e Pacπc Uπf eaπed ππed  eπ dπaπc ππ π Saa Ta ad Vaa a e a a e cπe  e ‘aed ae’ f ‘ade a a c d  a a dπe f b eπ ad eace ad abππ’ πbπdʼnʼn B  e Pacπc Uπf ππed a π ad bee a b dπaeaed f Whitehall policy rhetoric.