In the shifting geography of global geopolitics, the Pacific Island countries – long treated as quaint backwaters by the post-colonial West – are finally being taken seriously. Their elevation comes not through Western benevolence but through China's methodical outreach, which is, to some, a cause for concern; to others, it is a necessary correction in a lopsided world order. As the third China-Pacific Island countries foreign ministers' meeting approaches, it's worth asking: What does genuine partnership in the Pacific look like – and who gets to define it?