Tonga’s sleepy capital, Nuku’alofa, was abuzz with activity last week as leaders from across the Pacific converged for the annual Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) leaders’ meeting.

Every now and then a police escort would drive through the streets, sirens blaring. Small flags on the hoods of the cars marked foreign delegations. China and Taiwan were visible, as were the Union Jack and the United Nations.

All of them participated only as dialogue partners or observers. But they made quite a noise. Their security was larger than most of the 18 PIF members, with the exception of New Zealand and Australia. The Royal Palace of Tonga looked inconspicuous compared with only one guard looking after the king, according to sources.

Throughout the week, diplomats have called the meeting fascinating, but the fundamental problem is that the interests of these delegations do not necessarily align with what PIF leaders and its citizens want.

The PIF is made up of 18 members – mostly from Pacific Island nations, as well as Australia and New Zealand – but also includes delegations from around the world seeking to play a role in a region that is becoming increasingly geopolitically important.

The big players are no longer just Australia and the US. China is a rising power in the Pacific that is causing unrest.

Nuku’alofa almost buckled under the pressure of all this attention. In front of one of the top hotels, where large delegations stayed, there was a billboard looking for workers, declaring “no experience required – all positions available.”

Another notice went up at the hotel warning that Tonga was facing a skills shortage and would therefore be unable to serve the general public during the forum.

It was a pertinent reminder of the “brain drain” that many Pacific nations face as their citizens head to Australia and New Zealand in search of a better future.

At the forum itself, Australia scored an early victory by announcing the A$400m ($268m; £204m) Pacific Policing Initiative, which will set up a police training centre in Brisbane and four centres in the Pacific. It will also train regional officers to be deployed to the region in the event of a major disaster or major event.

No sooner had the plan been announced than it was overshadowed by a hot-mic moment. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was caught on camera calling the deal “candy” to U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell. In a conversation he didn’t think was being filmed, he even joked with Mr. Campbell that he would “split the cost in half.”

It was an awkward gaffe that made it clear that the policing initiative was a “victory” over China’s growing influence in the region – 1-0 to Australia and its friends.

The fact that Mr. Albanese’s remarks were made in an auditorium built by the Chinese makes the contest all the more significant. The Chinese influence on the island is clear. Next to the auditorium is a large piece of land containing the Tombs of the Kings, which are now boarded up, with large signs outside announcing that renovations are underway with the help of China Aid. A similar story is unfolding on the other side of the Pacific.

But the conversation also confirmed the concerns of Vanuatu’s prime minister and the head of the Melanesian Spearhead Group, who said the police initiative could be seen as an attempt to exclude China rather than focus on benefits for the Pacific islands.

Mr Albanese’s “cracker” comments were not the only controversy last week. In a final communiqué issued by PIF leaders on Friday afternoon, there was a reaffirmation of a 1992 agreement that allows Taiwan to play a role in the forum’s leaders’ meetings. The communiqué was then removed and re-posted, removing the reference to Taiwan. That led to accusations that PIF leaders had bowed to pressure from China, although they suggested that it was in fact an administrative error.

Of the 18 countries in the Pacific Islands Forum, only three have diplomatic relations with Taiwan. While China is a “dialogue partner,” Taiwan is a “development partner,” a step down in importance.

All these arguments show that very real competition is getting tougher in the Pacific. Everyone wants to come to PIF because everyone wants a piece of the region.

The point is that as the superpowers jostle for relevance, so do the Pacific islands. There is a real push to ensure that those participating in this forum do so in a Pacific way – and for the good of the people of the Pacific.

A new report from the Lowy Institute shows that strategic competition often forgets the needs of people.

“Many of these economies are struggling to meet basic development needs,” reads the report, titled “The Great Game in the Pacific Islands.”

“Larger powers often prioritize projects that deliver strategic gains, such as telecommunications, ports, and military facilities, or political dividends, such as stadiums and convention centers, over projects that are less visually impressive.”

On the penultimate day, the leaders retreated to the island of Vava’u. Meanwhile, side events were underway in Nuku’alofa. One of them was the Pacific Resilience Facility, the first Pacific-led climate and disaster resilience finance fund, which will be headquartered in Tonga.

The event was attended by ministers and diplomats from member countries including Tonga, Tuvalu and Australia. The fund was a source of great pride and was expected to respond to climate change concerns across the region. Australia was the largest donor so far, with A$100 million. The US, China and Saudi Arabia also contributed, but the fund has a combined total of just $137 million – well short of its $500 million target by 2026 and a long-term goal of $1.5 billion.

“I think it’s harder to get funding for climate change,” Paulson Panapa, Tuvalu’s minister for foreign affairs, labour and trade, told the BBC. “We want all donors to treat both of those issues as very important, just as they are important to us.

“The Pacific Islands are small but mighty in many ways. These nations are situated in an ocean that makes up one third of the world’s surface – what happens in their waters – politically, economically, diplomatically, will shape the future of the world – for better or for worse.”