In this bulletin:
1. PACIFIC — Forum Chair Wale protests China’s missile test in the Pacific
2. PACIFIC — PNG PM Maape calls on global superpowers to halt missile tests after Chinese launch
3. AUST — Australia to host Pacific leaders as China threat looms
4. PACIFIC — Thousands without power in U.S Pacific Islands after Super Typhoon
5. SOL — Albanese reaffirms Australia’s commitment to Solomon Islands on 48th Independence anniversary
6. PNG — Daki must leave PNG Cabinet: Opposition leader Nomane
7. FIJI — ‘Fijian’ belongs to every citizen: Fiji Labour Party leader Chaudry
8. FIJI — Veitacini Treaty details security commitments
9. PACNEWS BIZ — PM Wale sets out economic vision in Independence Day address
10. PACNEWS BIZ — Australia launches new Pacific skills programme as APTC ends
11. PACNEWS BIZ — Aircalin rebrands ahead of new aircraft
12. PACNEWS IN FOCUS — How a single nuclear-capable missile could undo China’s long-running Pacific charm offensive
13. PACNEWS DIGEST —Four Strategies for Financing a clean water supply in the Pacific
PAC – DIPLOMACY/SECURITY: PACNEWS PACNEWS 1: Wed 08 Jul 2026
Forum Chair Wale protests China’s missile test in the Pacific
By Pita Ligaiula
HONIARA, 08 JULY 2026 (PACNEWS)— Forum Chair and Solomon Islands Prime Minister Matthew Wale has lodged a strong protest over China’s ballistic missile test in the Pacific, saying it was “not something a friend does” and warning that no country should conduct intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) tests in the region.
The nuclear-capable missile that China test-fired from a submarine Monday flew over multiple Pacific nations and appears to have hit waters close to Tuvalu’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
Responding to questions from reporters in Honiara, PM Wale said he had formally raised Solomon Islands’ concerns with China.
“China’s a good friend of Solomon Islands, but this is not something a friend does.
“This is not good in our region and as Chair of Pacific Islands Forum I’ve expressed my strong, registered my strong protest with the Ambassador.
“Solomon Islands also lodged a protest note. But we don’t want to see any more countries, China, America, anybody, we don’t want anybody testing the ICBMs in the Pacific Islands region.
“That’s the bottom line. Be our friend, but don’t threaten us,” he told reporters in Honiara.
Asked whether the missile test had acted as a deterrent, Wale said it highlighted the need for a stronger regional platform.
“Well, in many ways the missile test is further evidence for the need for regional platform so that the region can speak as one.
“It will allow some countries, not all the countries in the Pacific are not all on the same level of strength and may not want to speak up when things like this happen.
“But a regional platform will allow cover and allow for much greater sharing of intelligence and information so we can be advocating better for Pacific wide issues,” he stressed.
Speaking in Honiara alongside Wale, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also criticised the missile test, describing it as a provocative and destabilising act.
He confirmed Australia had raised its concerns directly with China.
“We have made clear our concerns to China in both Beijing and in Canberra and I’m making our concerns clear here as well in Honiara.
“We don’t want to see any action that is destabilising or which undermines the peace, security and stability of the Pacific and the region. And there is no doubt that this is a provocative act by China which does destabilise the region. And therefore, we will put forward our strong view.
“We have said consistently that we want to cooperate with China where we can, we’ll disagree where we must and we’ll engage in our national interests.
“This is one of those occasions where we must disagree with this action. And in particular we point out that it is standard procedure for tests such as this for there to be given 48 hours notice. This was not done on this occasion,” PM Albanese said.
Albanese said Australia’s concerns extended beyond the lack of advance notice to the type of weapon that was tested.
“Part of our concern here isn’t just the lack of notice that occurred. It is the fact that this was a test of a nuclear capable intercontinental ballistic missile fired from a nuclear-powered submarine.
“That is of real concern because what we need is less nuclear weapons, certainly not more. And the fact that this test took place with very little notice is of real concern. And so we join that as part of the concerns that we will express is the nature of the weapon that was tested that has a capacity clearly to reach at long range and to cause considerable, considerable damage were it to be weaponised.
“So, we’ll continue to advocate strongly but advocate as well, consistent with our view when it comes to the use of nuclear weapons is very clear and has been consistent and has indeed been a bipartisan approach for Australia for a long period of time,” PM Albanese said……PACNEWS
PAC – MISSILE TEST: NBC PNG NEWS PACNEWS 1: Wed 08 Jul 2026
PNG PM Maape calls on global superpowers to halt missile tests after Chinese launch
PORT MORESBY, 08 JULY 2025 (NBC PNG NEWS)—Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape has called on all global military powers to respect the Pacific as an ‘Ocean of Peace’ following China’s test launch of a strategic ballistic missile into international waters in the South Pacific.
The missile, deployed from a nuclear-powered submarine, prompted a firm response from the Prime Minister, who said that the region must never again become a theatre for military competition, weapons testing, or activities that threaten regional stability and the environment.
Marape said that Papua New Guinea respects the sovereignty of all nations and recognises their right to operate in accordance with international law, but, he countered that the Pacific should be dedicated to sustaining life rather than preparing for conflict.
“Our Pacific is an Ocean of Peace,” Marape said, stating that this aligns with the consistent aspiration of Pacific Islands Forum leaders and their shared ‘Blue Pacific Continent’ vision.
Marape, who has served continuously as Prime Minister since 2019, said Pacific nations continue to carry the heavy legacy of historical conflicts that were never of their own making.
“Our region has lived through war, nuclear testing and military activities imposed upon us by larger powers. We do not want history repeated,” he said.
He called for regional waters to remain entirely free from the testing of harmful weapons and military arsenals, whether launched from the air, sea, or land.
The Prime Minister also highlighted the critical ecological role of the Pacific Ocean as a major global carbon sink and home to extraordinary marine biodiversity that sustains fisheries feeding millions of people worldwide.
The public appeal comes as Port Moresby navigates a delicate diplomatic balancing act.
This year marks 50 years of formal diplomatic relations between Papua New Guinea and the People’s Republic of China since ties were first established in 1976.
Marape reaffirmed PNG’s longstanding commitment to the One China Policy, describing the relationship as genuine and founded on mutual respect. However, he drew a clear line regarding military escalation in regional waters.
“It is in that same spirit of friendship that I respectfully appeal to our Chinese friends that this be the last such missile test conducted in Pacific waters,” Marape said.
The Prime Minister emphasised that his message is not directed solely at Beijing, stating that the appeal applies equally to every nation possessing advanced military capability.
“It applies equally to the United States, France, Japan, the United Kingdom and every nation with military capability,” Marape said.
“If you respect the Pacific and its people, then please respect our ocean.
“We ask all major powers to refrain from using Pacific waters for missile testing, military weapons trials or any activity that contributes to conflict or militarisation,” said PM Marape.
Marape confirmed that the Government will convey its concerns directly to the Chinese leadership through established diplomatic channels, while continuing to advocate the “Ocean of Peace” position to all of PNG’s international partners…. PACNEWS
AUST – DIPLOMACY: AAP PACNEWS 1: Wed 08 Jul 2026
Australia to host Pacific leaders as China threat looms
BRISBANE, 08 JULY 2026 (AAP)—Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will host a trio of Pacific prime ministers as he tries to bolster Australia’s regional influence amid the creeping threat of China.
The bilateral meetings with Papua New Guinea’s James Marape, Tonga’s Lord Fakafanua and Samoa’s La’auli Leuatea Schmidt will be followed by a Pacific rugby league event in Brisbane with all four leaders.
Albanese will also host the prime ministers at the State of Origin decider at Suncorp Stadium.
The prime minister has returned from a successful trip to Fiji and the Solomon Islands, during which he signed a significant defence pact with Fiji.
The Ocean of Peace Alliance, which could be expanded to other Pacific nations, makes Fiji Australia’s fourth official ally.
Since 2023, Australia has signed treaties with Tuvalu and Nauru and an alliance with Papua New Guinea, as well as the Nakamal Agreement with Vanuatu.
Solomon Islands Prime Minister Matthew Wale has requested a bilateral treaty with Australia, expanding on work done in 2017.
Wale hopes to act quickly to sustain the favour of his government in what would be a decisive turn away from favouring Chinese security deals.
Henry Ivarature of the Australian Pacific Security College said Australia had done “exceptionally well” to cement itself as the regional hub for Pacific countries.
He expected continued talks to expand Australia’s presence in neighbouring islands, signalling a new era of strength for the region.
“I think Australia has learnt to listen and it has learnt to accept the way Pacific governments work. It has been patient,” he said.
But Dr Ivarature said attention would now turn to sustaining trust across a long period, something that shared interests such as rugby league were likely to help facilitate.
“You have to keep your house warm,” he said.
“These kind of agreements have to be maintained. When I travel to little islands like Tuvalu and I see Australian posts there, that is a really positive sign.”
The Brisbane talks will likely focus on expanding military and aid work in the Pacific, as China looms as a geopolitical threat.
Beijing tested a long-range missile in the South Pacific just as Australia and Fiji inked their alliance.
“It’s a very, very poor picture of relations,” Dr Ivarature said.
“The Pacific just wants to keep a region of peace.
“Australia needs the engagement with the Pacific to keep China’s influence, while not completely out, at bay,” Dr Ivarature said…. PACNEWS
PAC – TYPHOON DAMAGE RESPONSE: AFP PACNEWS 1: Wed 08 Jul 2026
Thousands without power In U.S Pacific Islands after Super Typhoon
SAIPAN/HAGATNA, 08 JULY 2026 (AFP)—Tens of thousands of people were without power Tuesday on Guam and the Northern Marianas after a super typhoon tore through the U.S Pacific territories, with no deaths reported.
The small island of Rota was the worst affected after a direct hit from Super Typhoon Bavi with winds up to 180 miles (290 kilometers) per hour on Monday, bringing down trees and power lines and knocking out water supplies.
Rota’s Mayor Aubry Hocog said she had been told that two people sustained non-fatal injuries but that “there were no deaths confirmed.”
Hocog said that over “50 percent of our island has undergone damages, and it could be more,” adding that it could take “two to three months” to fully restore power supply.
“There is still a very long line of our people lining up to get water. (Utilities company) CUC is rationing the water up to 25 gallons (95 litres) per household just so we can be sure to have enough for everybody,” she added.
Rota resident Masum Dhali, 24, said that “many homes have suffered severe damage, with countless roofs completely torn off.”
“Across the island, there is no electricity, no running water, and no mobile network service,” Dhali told AFP via Facebook, adding that “numerous water pipelines have been broken, and many power poles have fallen, leaving the entire island without essential services.”
Local media showed a long line of cars on Rota — home to some 1,500 people — queueing to get drinking water as temperatures hit a hot and humid 85F (29C).
Saipan and Tinian, the two main islands of the Northern Marianas home to around 40,000 people, also lost power as did parts of nearby Guam, a separate US territory home to major military bases.
On Guam, less than 50 miles (80 kilometers) from Rota, fallen trees, bits of streetlamps and rocks were strewn over the roads late Monday and AFP saw at least one car flipped on its side.
With the exception of Rota, the damage in the region of around 210,000 people was less severe than after Sinkalu, a super typhoon that hit in April.
Guam resident Marie and her partner, who were clearing up the debris with an excavator, had to move out of their house after Sinlaku and were living in a van when Bavi struck.
“All of our stuff (in the van) got wet from this typhoon now, so we ended up coming here to our car because we have nowhere else to go,”” 37-year-old Marie told AFP.
Handyman Bob Benavente said at a seaside park where rocks had been washed ashore by the storm surge that some rainwater leaked into his house but that he and his neighbors had not suffered major damage.
“Everybody goes out and gets gas, water, all the supplies (before storms arrive)… Everyone’s used to it here. It’s part of the island lifestyle,” the 61-year-old told AFP.
Oceans experienced their hottest June on record and could set fresh highs in the months ahead, the European Union’s Copernicus Marine Service said last week.
Warmer oceans help tropical storms to intensify and add more moisture, which can fall as heavy rain.
Adding to the mix is the return this year of El Nino, a natural climate phenomenon that warms Pacific surface temperatures and typically occurs every two to seven years.
Its effects can include drought across parts of the Amazon, Indonesia and Australia, disrupted monsoons in India, and more tropical storms and typhoons in the Pacific.
Charles “Chip” Guard, 80, a meteorologist who for years worked for the National Weather Service in Guam, remembers 11 super typhoons in the Pacific in 1997.
“That was very strong El Nino year. This is a strong El Nino year, but you know the season’s only just started and we already had a couple,” Guard told AFP……PACNEWS
SOL – DIPLOMACY: PACNEWS PACNEWS 1: Wed8 Jul 2026
Albanese reaffirms Australia’s commitment to Solomon Islands on 48th Independence anniversary
HONIARA, 08 JULY 2026 (PACNEWS)— Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has reaffirmed Australia’s long-standing friendship with Solomon Islands, marking the country’s 48th Independence Day and highlighting plans to negotiate a new comprehensive treaty between the two nations.
Speaking at the Independence Day celebrations in Honiara Tuesday, Albanese congratulated Solomon Islands on behalf of the Australian people.
“On behalf of the people of Australia, it is my great honour to congratulate you and your country on 48 years of independence.”
“We gather today to commemorate those whose vision made independence possible, half a century ago.”
“To celebrate the change and progress those five decades have brought to the life of your nation and the lives of its citizens.”
“And to dedicate ourselves to building on what has gone before us.”
“o realising a future of greater opportunity, stability and prosperity for all”, PM told Solomon Islanders at a packed National Stadium in Honiara.
Albanese said Australia was proud to have been the first country to formally recognise Solomon Islands following its independence.
“It is an ongoing source of pride for Australia that we were the first country to formally recognise Solomon Islands through the establishment of diplomatic relations.”
“And that occurred on the 7th July, 1978. Day one.”
He said Australia’s relationship with Solomon Islands was built on friendship that predated independence.
“Because Australia already knew the kindness and the courage that lived in these lands.
“We had learned this amidst the devastation of war. And we had pledged to remember it always in peace.
“The bravery, skill and sacrifice of Scouts and Coastwatchers.”
“And the selfless humanity of Solomon Islanders who risked their own lives to rescue and shelter Australian sailors and airmen.”
“Australia was proud to count Solomon Islands as a friend long before your first day as a member of the international community.”
“And we are proud to have Solomon Islands as a neighbour, a partner, a friend and a cherished member of the Pacific Family, every day.”
Albanese also noted the joint performance by the Australian Army Band and the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force Band.
“It is fitting that 12 members of the Australian Army Band are performing together with the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force Band.”
“Learning from each other and moving forward together, in harmony,” he said.
Speaking on the significance of independence, Albanese said sovereignty is built over time.
“Independence for Solomon Islands was formalised by an act of British Parliament but independence was brought to life by a thousand different acts of leadership, imagination and co-operation, from the people of these islands.”
“Because the sovereignty of independence is not a condition that one country can bestow on another.”
“It is a right and a responsibility.”
“Sovereignty, stability, prosperity and peace are not born of one moment in time. They are built, maintained and secured down the generations.”
“Not just in the high principles of global forums but in the universal building blocks of a good life.
“A healthy family, a secure home, a safe community. The opportunity of education and the dignity of work.
“The connections to region, culture and the great blue Pacific.”
“These are the continuing acts of independence that bring power, progress and sovereignty to individuals and nations alike,” he said.
Albanese also praised Solomon Islands Prime Minister Matthew Wale’s leadership.
“I have been impressed by Prime Minister Wale’s vision to build a better life for each and every Solomon Islander.”
Looking ahead, Albanese said Australia was committed to strengthening ties with Solomon Islands.
“And as we celebrate the past, we look forward to the future.”
“A future with a stronger, peaceful and more prosperous Solomon Islands.”
“As you continue your journey we also look to our own shared future, negotiating a new comprehensive treaty that will bring our great countries even closer together,” said PM Albanese……PACNEWS
PNG – POLITICS: THE NATIONAL PACNEWS 1: Wed 08 Jul 2026
Daki must leave PNG Cabinet: Opposition leader Nomane
PORT MORESBY, 08 JULY 2026 (THE NATIONAL)—Papua New Guinea Opposition Leader James Nomane has accused Prime Minister James Marape of giving a Cabinet minister, under investigation over “misconduct”, a “paid holiday” by appointing him as a minister without portfolio.
“In the Westminster system that we subscribe to, the convention is clear; ministers facing allegations of misconduct resign or are dismissed,” he said.
“In Australia, in New Zealand, in the United Kingdom, ministers have resigned over far less (level of misconduct) than what is alleged against (MP) Win Daki.
“That is the standard. That is the practice. That is the honour of the office.”
Tambul-Nebilyer MP Daki was relieved of the Commerce and Industry portfolio, but remains in Cabinet as a minister without portfolio, pending an investigation into allegations regarding the administration of the Government’s small-to-medium enterprise (SME) Fund.
Nomane said that in Papua New Guinea, under the Marape-led government, “we have invented something absurd”.
“Daki performs no ministerial function, but the taxpayer still pays him as a minister. That is not accountability; it is a paid holiday,” he said.
“I ask the prime minister: If a minister cannot be trusted with a portfolio, why can he be trusted with the office?
“Either the allegations warrant dismissal, or they don’t.
“There is no halfway house in the Westminster tradition.
“Suspend them, investigate them, and if cleared, restore them.
“Anything less, insults every hardworking Papua New Guinean who funds this charade as a taxpayer.”
Marape Monday called on all parties to allow an independent investigation into the administration of the SME Fund to proceed without political interference or premature conclusions.
“We must allow the independent investigation to establish the facts before passing judgment,” he said.
“In a democracy governed by the rule of law, no one should be condemned on the basis of allegations, political commentary, or social media speculation alone.
“Once the independent findings are available, the Government will make whatever decisions are necessary based on the evidence – not politics.”
Meanwhile, the National Development Bank (NDB) is yet to receive K320 million(US$72 million) in government funding under the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME) credit facility.
It has therefore suspended lending to MSMEs, with more than 100 loan applications awaiting funding.
Acting chief executive officer David Munaga told The National that the bank remained committed to delivering the MSME agenda, but had been constrained by the non-release of approved funds.
Nomane said the Government had betrayed PNG entrepreneurs.
“The consequence is devastating: NDB stopped lending in October 2025,” he said.
“Over 100 eligible loan applications sit frozen.
“Mothers in markets, farmers in villages, and young entrepreneurs in settlements are denied capital while this Government wastes millions on travel, consultants, and political patronage.
“No SME funding; no agricultural revolution; nothing to mitigate youth bulge, unemployment, crime, and poverty.
“Parliament appropriated K520 million(US$118 million). Only K200 million(US$5 million) reached NDB. I demand a criminal investigation,” he said….PACNEWS
FIJI – CONSTITUTIONAL REVIEW: FIJI SUN PACNEWS 1: Wed 08 Jul 2026
‘Fijian’ belongs to every citizen: Fiji Labour Party leader Chaudry
SUVA, 08 JULY 2026 (FIJI SUN) —The Fiji Labour Party (FLP) has opposed any move to reintroduce ethnic classifications in Fiji, arguing that every citizen should continue to be recognised simply as “Fijian.”
In its submission to the Constitution Review Commission, party leader Mahendra Chaudhry said the principle of a common national identity under the 2013 Constitution should be retained.
“The name Fijian belongs to every citizen by right of birth, upbringing, contribution and loyalty to this country,” he said.
Chaudhry warned that restoring ethnic labels in official documents or public policy would divide the country and create second-class citizens.
He said Indo-Fijians, Rotumans, Chinese Fijians, part-Europeans and other communities had all helped build modern Fiji alongside iTaukei people.
“To suggest that Indo-Fijians or other non-iTaukei citizens should be given a different category or class of citizenship is both historically inaccurate and morally wrong,” he said.
The party submitted that all citizens should continue to enjoy equal status regardless of ethnicity and that identity should be kept out of political debate.
It also opposed any attempt to introduce ethnic categories in passports, birth certificates, electoral rolls or other official records.
Chaudhry said a united Fiji could only be achieved when every citizen felt equally valued, protected and recognised as Fijian.
The FLP made five recommendations to the Constitution Review Commission aimed at strengthening the constitutional principle of equal national identity….PACNEWS
FIJI – OCEAN ALLIANCE TREATY: FIJI TIMES PACNEWS 1: Wed 08 Jul 2026
Veitacini Treaty details security commitments
SUVA, 08 JULY 2026 (FIJI TIMES)—The full text of the Ocean of Peace Alliance (Veitacini Treaty) has been released, outlining a strengthened security partnership between Fiji and Australia that includes commitments to cooperate on defence, consult during security crises and respond to armed attacks within the Pacific.
The treaty, signed by the two countries this week, sets out a framework for closer bilateral and regional security cooperation while reaffirming respect for each nation’s sovereignty and domestic decision-making processes.
Under Article 4 – Cooperation, Fiji and Australia commit to continuous cooperation to help one another maintain and strengthen their individual and collective capacity to protect their sovereignty and deter or resist external threats and armed attacks.
The treaty states that both countries will work together to build capabilities aimed at safeguarding their national interests and contributing to regional security.
Article 5 – Consultation requires the parties to consult whenever requested if a security-related development threatens the sovereignty, peace or stability of either country.
The provision says the two governments will consider whether measures should be taken in response to the identified threat, creating a formal mechanism for dialogue during periods of heightened security concern.
In Article 6 – Mutual Defence, both countries recognise that an armed attack on either party within the Pacific would endanger not only their own peace and security but also the wider security of the Pacific region.
The treaty declares that each country would act to meet the common danger, with any response to be undertaken in accordance with its respective domestic laws and constitutional processes.
The agreement also provides for closer military cooperation through Article 7 – Visiting Forces, under which Fiji and Australia will develop and maintain bilateral and multilateral visiting forces agreements and other arrangements needed to support activities undertaken under the treaty’s cooperation, consultation and mutual defence provisions.
The Ocean of Peace Alliance, also known as the Veitacini Treaty, is intended to deepen security cooperation between Fiji and Australia while reinforcing their shared commitment to maintaining peace, stability and sovereignty across the Pacific…. PACNEWS
PACNEWS BIZ
SOL – ECONOMIC GROWTH: INDEPTH SOLOMONS PACNEWS BIZ: Wed 08 Jul 2026
PM Wale sets out economic vision in Independence Day address
HONIARA, 08 JULY 2026 (INDEPTH SOLOMONS) —Solomon Islands Prime Minister Matthew Wale used the 48th Independence Day celebrations in Honiara Tuesday to deliver a clear message economic growth that only benefits the capital is not enough.
Speaking to a packed stadium at the national ceremony, Wale said his government’s vision for economic transformation is built on one principle: every Solomon Islander must have a real stake in the nation’s future.
“Economic transformation is not merely about increasing national income,” he said.
“It is about creating opportunities that allow our own people to participate fully in building the future of their own nation. It is about ensuring that prosperity reaches villages as well as towns. Provinces as well as the capital. Women as well as men. Young people as well as established businesses.”
The Prime Minister acknowledged the financial strain families across the country are dealing with every week.
Rising electricity costs, transport fares, and the price of essential goods, he said, are placing real pressure on households.
“These are not abstract economic statistics,” Wale said. “They affect real families. Real communities. Real lives.”
Wale singled out the high cost of electricity as one of the biggest barriers to development, calling affordable energy a necessity rather than a luxury. Without it, businesses struggle to grow, manufacturers cannot compete, and young entrepreneurs cannot get started.
He said his government is committed to bringing down electricity costs through strategic investment and reform. Lower energy prices, he argued, would do more than ease household expenses.
“Lower energy costs will not simply reduce household expenses,” Wale said.
“They will unlock investment. Create employment. Expand opportunity. And strengthen national competitiveness.”
The Prime Minister also said farmers, fishers, tradespeople, artisans, small business owners, and young innovators need opportunity, not handouts.
“Government has a responsibility to create an environment where indigenous enterprise can flourish,” he said. “Not by replacing private initiative. But by enabling it.”
He said when local businesses grow, local families benefit. When they expand, employment rises. When they invest, communities get stronger.
“The prosperity of Solomon Islands will ultimately be built not only by government expenditure,” Wale said, “but by the creativity, industry and resilience of its people,” said PM Wale…..PACNEWS
PAC – PACIFIC SKILLS: ISLANDS BUSINESS PACNEWS BIZ: Wed 08 Jul 2026
Australia launches new Pacific skills programme as APTC ends
SUVA, 08 JULY 2026 (ISLANDS BUSINESS)—Australia will spend FJD$359.8 million(US$179.9 million)on skills development in Fiji and Timor-Leste over 2025-2029, as Canberra moves to deepen its regional training footprint through a new programme focused on jobs, industry needs and vocational reform.
The Pacific Australia Skills initiative replaces the Australian Pacific Training Coalition (APTC), which officially ended in March 2025, and will work with local authorities and training providers rather than directly delivering training itself, organisers said at the launch of the Vuvale (Family) Skills Hub in Fiji.
“Pacific Australia Skills is Australia’s new regional development programme supporting skills and training across the Pacific and Timor-Leste,” said Gareth McGrath, Pacific Australia Skills Country Director for Fiji.
He said the programme was designed around “quality skills training for employment purposes, not training for training’s sake,” adding that it aims to produce “tangible employment outcomes.”
McGrath said the new model was intended to strengthen local systems and trainers while leaving the programme locally led.
“This is training for the future,” he said.
The refurbished Vuvale Skills Hub, located off Foster Road, Walu Bay, Suva, Fiji, which was previously used by APTC, will serve as a shared resource for Fiji’s TVET providers.
McGrath said the centre had been fitted with “state-of-the-art equipment and resources” and would be used in partnership with Fijian institutions.
When asked whether the move was simply a rebrand, he replied: “I hope not, because it would be very expensive if it were.”
He later added that Pacific Australia Skills would build on APTC’s legacy but operate “with new ways of working.”
He said the programme will target skills shortages in areas including maritime, digital economy and construction, based on advice from Fiji’s Higher Education Commission, the Fiji Commerce and Employers Federation and the National Employment Centre.
Partner institutions include the Fiji National University, the University of the South Pacific, Pacific TAFE, the Centre for Appropriate Technology and Development, and several vocational training centres.
The Vuvale facility is expected to host up to 75 students on the floor at a time and nearly 100 in the classroom area, and there would be no formal fee structure at this stage, with institutions expected to contribute in kind.
Australia has long been one of the Pacific’s biggest development partners, and the new programme comes as it seeks to align aid spending more closely with workforce demand and economic growth…..PACNEWS
NEW|CALE – AIRLINE: ISLANDS BUSINESS/Les Nouvelles Calédoniennes PACNEWS BIZ: Wed 08 Jul 2026
Aircalin rebrands ahead of new aircraft
NOUMEA,08 JULY 2026 (ISLANDS BUSINESS/LES NOUVELLES CALEDONIENNES) — Air Carlin is making changes to its logo, a move that comes as the international airline prepares to take delivery of its first Airbus A350-900 in December.
The new logo, unveiled last week, retains the iconic hibiscus flower but features a simplified outline, a lighter pistil, and a newly added fifth petal.
The company’s name is now written in capital letters with a straighter, bolder typography, and the words “New Caledonia” have been integrated directly below the brand name. Aircalin describes the update as a “modernisation without disruption” that aims to strengthen its identity on the international stage.
The first aircraft to feature the new livery will be the A350-900, which is expected to arrive at La Tontouta Airport in December. A second A350 is scheduled for delivery in 2028.
The rebranding follows a significant year for the airline, which carried 297,592 passengers in 2025. The company also reported that its recently launched Nouméa–Paris route via Bangkok transported over 30,000 passengers last year, with an occupancy rate of above 80 per cent. Aircalin says the new logo reflects its status as a “deeply Caledonian” carrier.
The airline’s logo has evolved several times since its founding in 1983, with the current iteration marking the first major redesign since 2012…..PACNEWS
PACNEWS In Focus
The views expressed in PACNEWS are those of agencies contributing articles and do not necessarily those of PINA and/or PACNEWS
How a single nuclear-capable missile could undo China’s long-running Pacific charm offensive
Analysis by Jonathan Milne
WELLINGTON, 08 JULY 2026 (NEWSROOM)—China has read the black-and-white letters of the Treaty of Rarotonga carefully, before firing a ballistic missile into the South Pacific Nuclear-Free Zone. As a signatory to protocols II and III of the 1985 Treaty, the People’s Republic has pledged to never use or threaten nuclear explosives against any treaty signatory. And it’s committed to not test any nuclear explosive anywhere in the zone’s designated boundaries.
The missile fired Monday – most likely a new generation JL-3 missile designed to carry a nuclear warhead – is thought to have been launched from a nuclear-powered submarine outside the nuclear-free zone.
It soared past American missile-tracking facilities on Guam and in the Marshall Islands, and over the exclusive economic zones of Micronesia, Nauru and Kiribati, before splashing down north of Tuvalu.
China can credibly say it was not a threat, and it was not a nuclear explosive, so it was not a treaty breach. “This test launch complies with international law and international practice and is not directed at any specific country or target,” said Senior Captain Wang Xuemeng.
But China has not read the mood of Pacific peoples so well as it has read the letter of the law.
After years of diplomatic work, infrastructure investment and trust-building across the South Pacific, it risks losing many of its hard-fought gains in one fell swoop of a ballistic missile.
This was a rare strategic miscalculation by a nation whose foreign policy has usually been marked more by its calm foresight, as others act impulsively.
Some analysts have linked the test to the timing of the Fiji-Australia security deal, and say China is sending a message to Australia. It was the same day that Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese and his Fiji counterpart, Sitiveni Rabuka, signed a new bilateral defence agreement.
(International correspondent Anna Fifield, writing at Between Giants, rejects this explanation, noting that missile launches are dependent on weather and other factors.)
Other analysts have linked the timing to the start of joint naval exercises with Russia, and say China is sending a signal to the US. Lyle Morris at the Asia Society Policy Institute argues that the fact Japan, Australia and New Zealand were given an hour or two’s notice, but America was given none, shows it was primarily a signal to the United States.
“It means the People’s Liberation Army Navy is capable of targeting the continental U.S from bastions close to Chinese waters,” he tells Fifield. “The launch appears intended to demonstrate an operational sea-based nuclear deterrent.”
To be clear, China is not alone in such missile testing. The US routinely carries out test launches of ballistic missiles from land or sea, including one fired from California at a target in the Marshall Islands in March. But the Marshall Islands are not (yet) part of the Pacific Nuclear-Free Zone.
And this is a more serious provocation by China than the test-firing of a missile from Hainan Island in 2024; this shows that China could use its submarines to hit the US mainland with nuclear-armed missiles.
Yet whether Chairman Xi Jinping wants to send an airborne communiqué to friends like Russia, or to adversaries like the USA and Australia, this can be seen only as a fleeting exchange.
The more enduring message he is sending is to Pacific island nations like the Solomons, Fiji, Vanuatu, Cook Islands and Kiribati, which had been slowly strengthening their relations with China over the past eight years, since signing up to China’s Belt and Road Initiative.
These are populations that, like New Zealand, have watched with mounting alarm the mercurial behaviour of US President Donald Trump, and concluded that China is a calmer and more predictable friend. The Asia NZ Foundation’s annual Perceptions of Asia survey, last month, showed for the first time that New Zealanders were more likely to see China as a friend than the USA.
But now, this.
Consider beneath the flight path, Kiribati (formerly known as the Gilbert Islands) whose people were severely affected by 33 atmospheric nuclear tests conducted by the UK and US between 1957 and 1962. Local populations were exposed to radioactive fallout; there was lasting environmental contamination and intergenerational health complications like elevated cancer rates.
Kiribati had, controversially, slid closer to China than other Pacific nations. In 2019 it officially severed ties with Taiwan to recognise Beijing, and China has since funded large-scale infrastructure projects, supplied ships and planes, and provided Chinese officers for community policing. The China-Kiribati security relations created a rift with New Zealand, which temporarily suspended development aid.
Just two weeks ago, China’s chargé d’affaires Zhao Jian led a delegation of the ‘Chinese Assisting Police Team’ to parade at the Kiribati Police National Day celebrations. They were inspected by President Taneti Maamau.
It was a similar story in the Cooks, whose prime minister, Mark Brown, had signed a strategic partnership and agreements with China around infrastructure development and deep-sea mineral research. Again, it undermined relations with New Zealand, and Foreign Minister Winston Peters temporarily suspended aid.
But New Zealand and Australia have been quietly rebuilding relations with Kiribati, the Cooks and other island nations. Australia’s Anthony Albanese visited Fiji on Monday this week, and is in the Solomon Islands on Tuesday to advance bilateral security negotiations with the nation’s new prime minister, Matthew Wale.
Indeed, in his capacity as the current chair of the Pacific Islands Forum, Wale has been the first Pacific leader to speak out about this week’s missile test.
“China is a good friend of the Solomon Islands, but this is not something a friend does,” he said. “This is not good in our region. And as chair of the Pacific Islands Forum I have registered my strong protest yesterday with the ambassador. Solomon Islands also lodged a protest note.
“We don’t want to see any more countries — China, America, anybody — testing in the Pacific Islands region, that’s the bottom line. Be our friend, but don’t threaten us.”
China has undermined much of its own diplomatic work with this missile test.
Over the years, 13 Pacific nations have ratified the Treaty of Rarotonga, linking their lands and waters into one vast nuclear-free zone, and ratification is pending for a 14th, the Marshall Islands.
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters says he’ll be talking with Pacific counterparts about China’s action.
“Pacific leaders have been clear we do not want to see the region become a theatre for outside military competition. This launch is not consistent with regional stability, and peace in the South Pacific,” he says.
“We, like our neighbours in other Pacific countries, have no interest in China using the South Pacific as a testing site for missile capability.”
Kiribati has consistently urged all nations to cease weapons testing in the “Blue Pacific Continent”. And like the I-Kiribati, the Cook Islands peoples are passionate about their opposition to nuclear weapons and testing – they’ve given the name to the Treaty of Rarotonga, the nuclear-free treaty signed on their biggest island on the 40th anniversary of the Hiroshima bomb.
Asked that day in 1985 whether the treaty was truly significant, in its incremental progress, New Zealand prime minister David Lange responded: “You can’t climb a ladder by starting at the top.”
Building relationships in the Pacific can only be achieved one step at a time. China has tried to start at the top of the ladder….PACNEWS
PACNEWS DIGEST
The views expressed in PACNEWS are those of agencies contributing articles and do not necessarily those of PINA and/or PACNEWS
Four Strategies for Financing a clean water supply in the Pacific
By Bronwyn Powell, Karl Galing and Sinead Lehane
MANILA, 08 JULY 2026 (ADB)— Communities in the Pacific face some of the most severe shortages of safe, clean water in the world.
Approximately half of the region’s population lives without access to basic drinking water, making them more vulnerable to the impacts of disasters and climate change.
To produce and deliver drinking water, and safely manage sanitation, governments and water utilities in the Pacific must grapple with financing, and the debate over how much water should cost and who should pay that bill.
Water utilities service most households in Pacific urban areas, but as informal settlements grow, they are tasked with the challenge of collecting sufficient income to deliver on agreed service standards to their customers, while providing affordable water to all.
To meet this challenge, governments, water utilities, and their partners should prioritise the following actions:
Develop workable regulatory and tariff frameworks. Utilities benefit from predictable revenue streams which help them deliver continuous services. Financing arrangements must account for future infrastructure needs and asset replacement, including measures to deal with risk and build resilience to climate change.
The regulatory and tariff framework of a utility determines its financial position, and the extent to which it is reliant on government subsidies or grants, cross-subsidy, or tariff collection. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to tariffs or regulatory models for water services, and while some will be tasked with full cost recovery, at least for operations and maintenance, others may operate under a public subsidy regime.
Cross-subsidising is one approach to support operational sustainability – as in the case of the Federated States of Micronesia. The Chuuk Public Utility Corporation delivers both electricity and water services, with the electricity business subsidising water and sanitation services.
A ‘best fit’ tariff and regulatory system is one that suits the country’s policy, institutional, and political economy context and includes poor inclusive strategies.
Adopt and expand financing strategies that include the poor. Effective poor inclusive water financing strategies are crucial to meet public good objectives and these arrangements must ensure basic service levels are available to all – including vulnerable groups.
Equitable strategies must fit within the utilities’ broader revenue and cost-recovery objectives. Key entry points for these strategies include poor-inclusive tariffs and financing mechanisms, such as subsidized connection fees or free water allocations.
In Papua New Guinea, Water PNG Ltd. is trying innovative water supply systems, including water kiosks and meter farming, in informal settlements to find new ways to provide networked water supply to everyone. The Water Authority of Fiji provides a free water allowance to vulnerable households, benefitting over 150,000 people.
Engage and communicate on agreed levels of service. Agreed levels of service set the quality of water service a community can expect from their utilities. Defining an agreed level of service that can be met by the utility is important to managing customer satisfaction.
The Water Authority of Fiji noted that people have expressed a willingness to pay more for improved water services. Improving services and effectively communicating to customers the value and benefits of connecting to a reliable water supply will enhance the willingness of customers to pay for these services.
Long-term utility communication and engagement strategies should focus on improving community water literacy. A community’s local knowledge of water and understanding about how their actions can affect water management (including network operations) is needed. As is increasing engagement on key issues like non-revenue water reduction, illegal connections, leaks, and bill payments.
Address non-revenue water. Reducing non-revenue water – water that is produced and distributed but is physically lost due to leakages or theft, or commercially lost due to unbilled or unauthorised consumption and metering inaccuracies – is important for the financial viability of water service providers.
A well-performing utility may lose around 20 percent of its water to non-revenue streams. In the Pacific this figure can be as high as 85 percent, representing a significant loss of revenue and resourcing for utilities. Non-revenue water affects levels of service and quality of customers experiences, for example through loss of pressure, intermittent supply, and slow response to complaints and related grievances.
The Tonga Water Board established a non-revenue water management team, which improved their customer database, repaired broken water meters and visible leaks, dealt with asset and bill management as well as the recovery of illegal connections. Through these activities the utility saw over a five-year period authorized water consumption nearly double and non-revenue water cut in half.
Balancing the needs of everyone in the provision of water means ensuring the equitable access to water for all while making certain service providers are financially and operationally viable.
All water utilities want to avoid the vicious cycle of declining service levels – both a symptom and cause of declining tariff payments – and move into the virtuous cycle of improved service levels to provide safe water for all.
Utilities must work collaboratively and transparently with governments and regulators to explore models that suit their context and afford them financial sustainability.
National leadership and enabling regulation are required. This must accompany serious conversations on how we value water, the true cost of delivering clean, safe water for all, and how we ensure no one is left behind….PACNEWS
𝑊𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑛 𝑏𝑦 𝐵𝑟𝑜𝑛𝑤𝑦𝑛 𝑃𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑙𝑙, 𝑊𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐷𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑝𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑆𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑠𝑡, 𝐾𝑎𝑟𝑙 𝐺𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔, 𝑈𝑟𝑏𝑎𝑛 𝐷𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑝𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑆𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑠𝑡, 𝐴𝐷𝐵, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑆𝑖𝑛𝑒́𝑎𝑑 𝐿𝑒ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑒, 𝐶𝑜𝑚𝑚𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐸𝑛𝑔𝑎𝑔𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑆𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑠𝑡
