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Australia moving to heal rift with Pacific Island neighbours over China's influence in the region

Canberra has accused Beijing of funding useless projects in the Pacific.

Australia has moved quickly to heal a deepening row with its Pacific Island neighbours after a government minister slammed China's aid programme to the region.

Beijing's aid programme to the Pacific was accused by Australia's International Development Minister of building white elephants and roads to nowhere.

The accusations have infuriated the Pacific countries which depend on its help.

"I think the minister was so anti-Chinese that she forgot her comments were harmful and insulting to the leaders of the Pacific," Samoan Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi told 1 NEWS.

The insinuation that Pacific leaders are easily influenced has caused the most outrage.

"The connotation is the Pacific leaders are corrupt and we should have used our intelligence to deny, to reject," Mr Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi said.

1 NEWS understands other Pacific leaders are also furious, the Samoan prime minister confirming Australian Foreign Minister Julia Bishop has since called him and said the comments were "unfortunate".

However, there is mounting uneasiness over China's growing influence in the region.

The International Monetary Fund's expressed concern that Chinese aid to developing countries is laying the ground for a future debt crisis.

Pacific leaders deny this would happen, they're focused on making the most of the $2.5 billion China's invested in the region over the past decade.

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