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US Challenges China's Influence Over Pacific Island Countries, But Does It Have Much to Offer?_我的网站

A |     近日，杭州大厦的宝格丽专柜迎来一位新加坡客人。在客人挑选了一件饰品后，品牌员工主动将其引导至商场“即买即退”服务点。

B |     "For decades now, the Pacific Ocean can be fairly described as an American lake, in which the US strategic presence is actively supported by the Australian and to a lesser extent New Zealand economic and security presence," says Joseph Camilleri, emeritus professor at La Trobe University in Melbourne.,However, with the People's Republic of China's (PRC) swift economic rise, it's hardly surprising that Beijing has started to explore new possibilities in the Pacific, according to the academic.,"What has particularly troubled the United States and its principal ally in the South Pacific, Australia, is the fact that China is making inroads into what was until now considered to be an exclusive American sphere of influence," he stresses.,On July 13, Vice President Kamala Harris told the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) in Suva in a virtual address that US funding for the region would be stepped up to $60 million per year for 10 years. The newly announced endeavor includes more funding for fisheries, extra aid, and offers of new US embassies in the Pacific. In particular, the US is set to ink renewed fishing treaties with Pacific island nations allowing US vessels to fish in their exclusive economic zones (EEZ), and offering greater support for maritime surveillance in the Pacific. In addition to that, the Peace Corps – the United States government's volunteer program – will return to four countries, including Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, and Vanuatu, according to CNN.,Australia Welcomes 'Renewed Commitment' From US Towards Pacific, Willing to Work With China11:38 GMT,"The timing of the pledge has much to do with the strategic competition between the United States and China," Camilleri explains. "In recent years, China has made considerable headway in developing its relations with [the Pacific Island Forum (PIF)] board, including cooperation in political, security and regional affairs, aid and development, COVID response and health, Ocean affairs and climate change, and much else.",The US attempt to assert its presence in the Pacific region also comes on the heels of the Quad IUU Fishing Initiative announced in late May, according to Jay Batongbacal, director of the University of the Philippines Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea.,The leaders of the Quad nations — Australia, India, Japan, and the United States – proposed a maritime surveillance initiative to establish a tracking system to combat illegal, unregulated, and unprotected (IUU) fishing. The Quad endeavor may be viewed as an extension of earlier initiatives against China's fishing activities in the South Pacific, according to the academic.,"The South Pacific region is presently one of the richest and most active fishery areas in the world," he highlights.,Why Asia Won't Reject Russia's Hydrocarbons or China's Rare Earths Despite US PressureYesterday, 18:54 GMT,Even if Half of Pacific Islands Ink China Pact, It'll be Beijing's Win,Two months ago, Beijing offered a draft agreement between China and 10 island nations spanning policing, security, fisheries, data, and a free trade zone. Some Pacific leaders have agreed to consider China's trade and security pact, while the others have voiced concerns that their rapprochement with Beijing could antagonize Washington.,"The Chinese proposal to establish a China-Pacific Islands cooperation framework agreement may not yet have won sufficient support but I expect that the Chinese side will persist with its proposal, and that it may be happy to proceed with it, even if only five or six Island states are prepared to sing such an agreement," says Camilleri.,Prior to that, in mid-April, the Chinese and the Solomon Islands governments formally signed a bilateral security agreement regardless of the displeasure voiced by the US, Australia, and New Zealand. Commenting on the pact on June 3, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi underscored that its purpose is "to assist the Solomon Islands in maintaining social order." He vehemently denied Western media speculation about China's apparent plans to beef up its military presence in the region.,"China has come to the South Pacific region to build roads and bridges and improve the people’s lives, not to station troops or build military bases," Wang highlighted.,© MANDEL NGANUS President Joe Biden meets with China's President Xi Jinping during a virtual summit from the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, DC, November 15, 2021. US President Joe Biden meets with China's President Xi Jinping during a virtual summit from the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, DC, November 15, 2021. © MANDEL NGAN,US-China Competition for Pacific Islands Region Will Intensify,As the US and China's competition for the resource-rich region unfolds, it all depends on what Washington and Beijing can offer to Pacific island nations, according to Camilleri.,"It is doubtful that the paltry sum of $60 million offered by the United States can even begin to match what China is offering, or that it will greatly impress the Pacific Islands States meeting in Fiji," the professor suggests.,Furthermore, China has made substantial progress in building trade relations with the countries of the region as well as in establishing diplomatic ties with the PIF. The People's Republic was first invited to attend the PIF-related Talk on Establishing Dialogue Partnership held in Suva, Fiji, in 1988. Since 1990, China has attended the Post-Forum Dialogue meetings on a regular basis. In 2003, China announced its willingness to further expand economic ties with PIF member countries as well as to provide funding for the forum's secretariat.,"According to official Chinese figures, from 1992 to 2021, total trade volume between China and Pacific Island Countries (PICs) having diplomatic relations with China grew from $153 million to $5.3 billion, registering an average annual increase of 13% and expanding by over 30 times in 30 years. Similarly, by the end of 2021, China’s direct investment in PICs having diplomatic relations with China had reached $2.72 billion," says Camilleri.,The competition between the United States and its allies on the one hand and China on the other will, if anything, gather pace and intensity in the years to come, the professor says, adding that Beijing's advantage is that "it comes to the table with a much bigger checkbook, and greater opportunities for trade and investment, especially in infrastructure projects."。从办理退税到税款到账，前后不过5分钟，客人当即竖起了大拇指。这样的场景，正在拱墅区的核心商圈频频发生。当前，杭州正加大离境退税“即买即退”网点布局，加快建设国际消费中心城市。

C | 在这股热潮中，拱墅区尤为亮眼——该区目前离境退税商店达84家，其中“即买即退”商店42家。上半年，杭州大厦离境退税总销售额超7200万元、同比增长108%，占杭州市近半壁江山。

D | 作为杭州建设国际消费中心城市的核心区，拱墅区把离境退税这件“小事”当作国际化消费环境的“大文章”来做。一张小小的退税单，正成为检验区域营商环境与消费辐射力的“试金石”。重点商圈全覆盖 服务网越织越密离境退税并非新事物，但过去境外旅客要在机场离境时排队办理，耗时长、体验感不佳。2023年9月，杭州成为继北京、上海、广州之后试行离境退税“即买即退”的城市，杭州大厦等14家商店成为首批试点。所谓“即买即退”，就是把退税窗口从机场前移至商店。作为“浙江商贸第一区”，拱墅区的商业厚度积累多年。2025年，该区社会消费品零售总额达1713亿元，武林CBD连续三年跻身“福布斯中国”中央商务区消费竞争力榜单前十，可谓站在这项试点的潮头。

E | 但要让政策真正落地，光靠商户“自觉”远远不够。拱墅区对辖区内的商场、超市、特色街区进行全面梳理，把有意愿、有条件的商户名单摸了个清楚。有了底数，再组织政策宣讲，帮助意向商户加快备案。针对商场内商户普遍反映的“对申办流程无经验、政策概念模糊”等实际困难，拱墅区商务局联合区税务局简化指引，制作拱墅区离境退税“三句话版”备案操作指引及流程图，在全区商户中推广。恒隆广场于今年4月底在武林广场亮相，拱墅区牵头组建了“恒隆广场离境退税推进群”，把商场招商负责人和区税务局业务人员拉进同一个微信群。商户有疑问，群里即时解答；政策有更新，群里第一时间送达。开业后，恒隆广场集中退付点无缝衔接。

F | 这套“组合拳”打下来，成效肉眼可见。截至8月，拱墅全区离境退税商店已达84家，“即买即退”商店42家，杭州大厦、国大城市广场、武林银泰、恒隆广场、新天地等商业综合体，丝绸城等特色街区，联华超市、屈臣氏、苏宁易购、京东五星、酷动数码等重要商家均纳入其中。7月24日，拱墅区举办离境退税“即买即退”扩围升级工作推进会，再次提出重点商圈离境退税要全覆盖，将服务网越织越密，让退税成为随时随地发生的消费体验，全区形成“高净值客流—高密度网点—高效率退税”的正向循环。数字赋能 流程瘦身做优体验“能退”解决的是有无问题，“好退”考验的则是服务的精细化水平。近两年，离境退税“即买即退”政策持续扩围提质，退税金额上限提高至22万元，起退点降至200元，“即买即退”离境时限延长至28天，离境口岸也逐步拓展。政策覆盖更广、旅客受益更多，也对一线服务提出了更高要求。为此，记者专门走访了杭州大厦。从商场出入口、天桥、电梯厅到楼层主通道，“Tax Free”（离境退税）的标识都格外醒目。去年5月，杭州大厦在新B座地下一层划出专区开设首个离境退税服务办理点。数字化成为提升离境退税服务效率的关键支撑。在杭州大厦服务点，护照直接通过扫描仪录入，减少了手工差错和重复等待；发票采用一键导入，缩短了办理时间。在支付方式上，杭州大厦启用支付便捷退税并升级了“一键退税”，开通现金退税和支付宝实时到账两种渠道，满足不同旅客的使用习惯。对境外旅客而言，时间成本往往比退税金额更敏感。“目前，单笔业务办理时间由原来的15分钟左右，压缩至5分钟左右。

G | ”杭州大厦相关负责人表示，杭州大厦的离境退税服务已实现全品类商品覆盖，从国际名品到国潮好物，境外旅客可以“一站式购齐，一单式退税”。这些变化看似发生在流程细节中，最终提升的是境外旅客对杭州消费环境的整体感受。文商旅融合 打开消费升级新空间除了综合性商场，老字号也在发力。都锦生从1953年开始就被列为外事接待单位，现为杭州市国际旅游访问点之一。目前，都锦生在龙游路旗舰店等三家门店都开设了退税服务点。

H | 店里柜台上摆着醒目的离境退税标识，境外游客一进门就能看到。尤其是龙游路旗舰店与都锦生故居、都锦生织锦博物馆均毗邻西湖，成为境外旅客了解杭州丝织文化的前沿阵地。“我们的店员在帮助境外客人选购的同时，会主动介绍离境退税服务。就在前几天，一位境外消费者购买了几件真丝服装，从选品到退税，都在店内顺利完成。

I | ”都锦生龙游路旗舰店相关负责人介绍。在拱墅区今年发布的十二项新质消费举措的框架中，离境退税更是被嵌入全链条消费支持体系之中。拥有大运河这样的世界文化遗产文旅资源，叠加全省领先的首店品牌集聚度，拱墅区在“浙江商贸第一区”的底色之上，正加速释放文商旅融合的消费新动能。“在网点布局上，拱墅区计划在重点商圈、景区培育一批有影响力的‘地标性’离境退税商店，同时引导国际名品店、国货潮品店、老字号、文创店等成为退税商店。”拱墅区商务局相关负责人透露，下一步将继续联合税务部门为商户提供点对点、常态化的业务指导，稳步扩大备案商户体量，持续拓宽覆盖面。当运河的水声与商圈的繁华交织，当古城的底蕴与新消费的活力碰撞，离境退税不仅是单纯的税务便利，更是与文商旅深度融合的消费生态再造，让“买在拱墅”成为杭州国际化叙事中不可或缺的章节。

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Published on:12:42:53