China's former ambassador to the United States claims Western countries are treating the South Pacific like their "backyard" in a throwback to the colonial era, while Beijing sees the small island nations as equals.
Cui Tiankai made the remarks in an interview with CNN on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue defense summit in Singapore on Sunday.
In the interview, Cui -- who served as Beijing's envoy in Washington from 2013 to 2021 -- attempted to play down growing Western concerns over Beijing's controversial push for new economic and security agreements with Pacific islands.
But Cui claimed that China -- unlike the US and Australia -- did not view the region as part of a great power struggle.
"Maybe countries like Australia see these countries as (being their) own backyard, like the United States sees Latin America as its backyard according to the Monroe Doctrine," Cui said.