Islanders on the French Pacific territory of New Caledonia rejected independence on Sunday in a referendum, but the results showed weaker-than-expected support for Paris in the resource-rich and strategic outpost.
Some 18,000 kilometres (11,000 miles) from the French mainland, New Caledonia is home to a quarter of the world’s known supplies of nickel — a vital electronics component — and is a foothold for France in the Pacific where China is gaining influence.
On the final count, 56.4 percent of people rejected the proposition that New Caledonia become independent. Turnout was high at 80.63 percent.
President Emmanuel Macron expressed his “immense pride that we have taken this historic step together” in an address to the nation, adding it was “a sign of confidence in the French republic, in its future and its values.”
But the winning margin on New Caledonia, sometimes referred to in France as “the pebble”, might cause some concern in Paris, as well Australia which has been alarmed by Beijing’s designs in the Pacific and its investment in island nations.
But the winning margin on New Caledonia, sometimes referred to in France as “the pebble”, might cause some concern in Paris, as well Australia which has been alarmed by Beijing’s designs in the Pacific and its investment in island nations.
