'No island is too small to make an impact': Germany builds closer ties with Tonga, seals diplomacy with Niue
- Admin
- 41 minutes ago
- 4 min read
By James C. Pearce
Germany’s foreign minister recently embarked on an Indo-Pacific tour to shore up relations and build a backstop against China.
Tonga was the last leg of Johann Wadephul’s tour, and to some observers, it the curious part of the itinerary, which began in Singapore and Brunei before moving on to New Zealand and Australia.
How does Tonga, a tiny island kingdom in the South Pacific with a population of
approximately 104,000, share the interests of economic powerhouse Germany, a country it has so little in common with?
Lord Fakafanua, Tonga’s prime minister, said Wadephul’s visit reflected the “strength and longevity” of the two countries' relationship and their shared focus on sustainable development and climate resilience, both vital to their future.
While in Tonga, Wadephul met with Niue's prime minister, Dalton Tagelagi, to seal Germany's diplomatic relations with Niue, marking another step toward closer ties in the Pacific region.
"No island is too small to make an impact on a multilateral world," the German Information Center wrote on its Facebook account.
According to the German Foreign Ministry, the countries Wadephul visited share Germany’s interest in bolstering multilateral structures and defending a stable international order.
The trip took place amid global power shifts, economic competition and growing tensions, which increasingly put the rules-based international order to the test.
Germany is seeking to deepen existing partnerships and generate new momentum for cooperation in areas from trade and technology to the international order, climate change and security.
Following the 2022 eruption of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Haʻapai and the subsequent tsunami, Germany funded a €50,000 project providing clean drinking water and support for community gardens.
Some of the trip was pure pomp and marking milestones. Wadephul marked 150 years of the friendship treaty and 50 years of diplomatic relations between Tonga and Germany.
Prior to the celebration, Wadephul met with Dalton Tagelagi to formalize the German-Niue ties.
“It was about time for Germany to formalize this partnership. In global cooperation, every voice counts. Near and far, we are stronger together, we are happy to call Niue a partner for Germany,” the German Information Center posted on its Facebook page.
Niue, a small self-governing island in the South Pacific, faces serious climate change-related challenges, as many other small island countries in the region.
Germany has pledged to support the Pacific Resilience Facility with €5 million - to help keep the Pacific Islands habitable.
“This partnership upholds a multilateral world where every nation, regardless of size, has a powerful voice,” the information service said.
"Together, we’re proving that when it comes to protecting our climate and our future, no country is 'too small' to make a big impact."
Germany wants to form a strategic partnership with the Pacific Islands Forum. As a dialogue partner contributing to the regional organization’s climate fund, Germany also supports measures to strengthen the region’s resilience to climate change.
Germany intends to better combine its advocacy for international law, multilateralism and an ambitious climate policy with its Pacific partners.
“It is particularly important to me that we have Tonga on our side in this,” Wadephul said.
He pledged €5 million for the new Pacific climate fund. Germany continues to support Tonga’s development through contributions to EU funding programmes and other regional initiatives, alongside cultural and academic exchanges, including archaeological research and regional visitor programs.
On top of that, the EU is committing over €578 billion to climate action in its 2021-2027 budget, representing more than 30 percent of its total budget, to fund mitigation and adaptation efforts.
Of that total, €300 million goes to the Pacific alone, in the Global Gateway Package, a set of projects to boost climate resilience, sustainable oceans, and renewable energy. However, China was the real elephant in the room.
Wadenphul made clear that his government is particularly concerned about the rise of China and their presence in the Pacific.
Tonga and China have formed deeper ties over the past decade. China helps train local police forces, is attempting to establish military bases and pouring in immense investment, often welcomed by locals.
It also opened another consulate. Wadenphul’s visit, above all, serves as a reminder that the EU can be a reliable and good-faith partner in a more uncertain world.
Like most of Europe, Germany established a small Pacific empire in the late 19th century, which comprised German Micronesia (the Marianas, Marshall Islands and the Caroline Islands) and German New Guinea (the northern Solomon Islands and Nauru), dubbed the Bismarck Archipelago and Kaiser Wilhelmsland, respectively.
It also acquired parts of Samoa in 1900 and established German Samoa.
Germany never got rich from its Pacific colonies. In a world dominated by great powers on a continent where the world’s largest empires all lived side by side, Germany’s Pacific colonies were little more than a show of force, allowing it to compete on another continent.
However, Germany lacked a meaningful military presence in the region and was ultimately unable to defend itself.
During World War I, German Micronesia was quickly seized by the Japanese. German Samoa was taken by New Zealand and Australia took over German Guinea.
It formally lost these territories in the 1918 Treaty of Versailles. A German crew briefly lived on Guam 1915-1917 until forced to leave by U.S. authorities.
During World War II, Nazi Germany played a more limited role in the Pacific, although it sent many U-boats to assist the Japanese war effort, as well as blockade runners.
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