In this bulletin:
1. PACIFIC — Pacific strategy targets bigger share of Climate finance by 2030
2. PACIFIC — Tongan PM says China missile test has ‘caused a stir, created tension’
3. TUVALU — Tuvalu moves closer to first National Security Policy
4. VAN — Vanuatu to pursue legal action over Matthew and Hunter
5. PACIFIC — FSM, Tuvalu back UN push for methane cuts, seek stronger global accountability
6. PACIFIC — Bipartisan bill to continue decades-old Pacific drug enforcement initiative
7. NZ — Aotearoa weighs joining Pacific defence pact as expert warns region must stay at the centre
8. AUST — China’s Pacific ‘backyard’ missile test not making friends: Education Minister Jason Clare
9. PACIFIC — El Niño is underway: A warming Pacific, a shifting storm belt and a region learning to read every cloud as a warning sign
10. PACIFIC — Focus on Film selection to hone Pacific storytelling
11. PACNEWS BIZ — Fiji Opposition leader Seruiratu calls for national plan to tackle labour exodus
12. PACNEWS BIZ — Nauru Airlines ends Pohnpei and Koror service
13. PACNEWS BIZ — Calls grow for Fiji Airways review
14. PACNEWS BIZ — Guam Power Authority urged to pause fuel surcharge hike
15. PACNEWS DIGEST — How Beijing’s nuclear gambit gave Australia a surprise advantage
16. PACNEWS DIGEST — Aid cuts leave at least one million women and girls without vital support
PAC – CLIMATE FINANCE REPORT: PACNEWS PACNEWS 3: Mon 13 Jul 2026
Pacific strategy targets bigger share of Climate finance by 2030
By Pita Ligaiula
SUVA, 13 JULY 2026 (PACNEWS)— Pacific Island countries have adopted a regional strategy aimed at improving access to climate finance, strengthening institutions and developing new financing mechanisms to help meet the region’s growing climate needs through to 2030.
The Pacific Regional Climate Finance Access and Mobilisation Strategy 2025-2030 (CFAMS) says it is designed to help Pacific Island Countries (PICs) navigate the complex climate finance system by improving their ability to access, manage and effectively use funding for mitigation, adaptation, and loss and damage initiatives.
It was developed by the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat and endorsed by Pacific Island Forum Economic Ministers at their Special Meeting in March 2025.
The strategy acknowledges that Pacific countries face limited institutional capacity, complex funding mechanisms and a growing need for financial resources to respond to climate change, while outlining measures to strengthen technical capacity, improve access to finance, enhance management of climate funds and promote innovative financing mechanisms.
According to the report, Pacific Island countries received US$3.4 billion in climate finance between 2010 and 2021, with 59 percent directed to adaptation, 31 percent to mitigation and 10 percent to cross-cutting projects.
More than half of the funding came from multilateral development banks.
The report estimates the region requires US$13.2 billion in climate finance by around 2030, noting that only about a quarter of that amount has been mobilised over the past decade.
It says the gap reflects insufficient climate finance to meet the region’s adaptation and mitigation needs and identifies complex application processes, stringent eligibility requirements and limited proposal development capacity as major barriers to accessing funding.
It also notes that much of the climate finance received has been delivered through short-term, project-based approaches that provide little basis for long-term planning.
The strategy’s objectives include improving access to international and regional climate finance, strengthening institutional capacity, promoting innovative financing options such as debt-for-climate swaps, blue and green bonds, strengthening regional cooperation, integrating climate finance into national development planning, improving accountability, supporting resilience and low-carbon development, and ensuring gender-inclusive approaches.
Among its targets, the strategy aims to simplify access to international climate funds, help Pacific countries secure direct accreditation to major climate funds, establish new public-private partnerships, strengthen climate finance management systems and explore innovative financing tools, including climate insurance, carbon pricing and debt-for-climate swaps.
The strategy says the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat will coordinate implementation between 2025 and 2030, working with the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme, the Pacific Community, United Nations agencies, multilateral development banks and other partners through an expanded regional Climate Finance Working Group. ….PACNEWS
PAC – DIPLOMACY: SMH PACNEWS 3: Mon 13 Jul 2026
Tongan PM says China missile test has ‘caused a stir, created tension’
SYDNEY, 13 JULY 2026 (SMH)—Tonga’s prime minister has joined a chorus of regional leaders condemning China’s testing of a nuclear-capable long-range missile in the Pacific last week, as Foreign Minister Penny Wong drew a sharp distinction between Beijing’s launch and regular United States test firings in the region.
As his nation weighs whether to join Fiji and Australia in a new military alliance, Lord Fatafehi Fakafānua said he was hopeful Australia and Tonga could move quickly to strike an ambitious treaty, possibly by the end of the year.
While China gave Tonga notice of the missile launch, Fakafānua said that “any escalation to militarise the ocean is something that we join the rest of the Pacific family in not supporting”.
“I think it’s created tension in the Pacific, and some of my colleagues in the Pacific have been quite vocal about that,” he told this masthead in an interview in Sydney.
“So let’s just say it’s caused a bit of a stir,” he said, adding that Tonga opposed ballistic testing in the region by all superpowers.
Albanese said last week that the Pacific Islands Forum was drafting a “very strong” condemnation of the test firing, which he labelled a “provocative act”.
Solomon Islands Prime Minister Matthew Wale has said China’s test is “not something a friend does” and Tuvalu’s Prime Minister Feleti Teo expressed “grave and serious concern and disappointment” about the missile launch.
Palau’s President Surangel Whipps Jr, who will host next month’s Pacific Island Forum leaders meeting, said he was “shocked and deeply concerned about this kind of behaviour”.
Wong told this masthead that previous U.S tests near nations such as the Marshall Islands “has been agreed with or telegraphed to them, and obviously the United States has a particular relationship with those nations”.
“There is a distinction with China’s action. This was quite a different type of political act,” she said.
Celebrating the fact the government had achieved “a number of transformational breakthroughs in the Pacific”, including last week, Wong said Australia would intensify its efforts to boost its influence in the region.
“We can offer proximity, culture, people, access to our labour market. We have the cultural ties, whether that’s NRL or First Nations connections,” she said.
“You’ve got to always keep focusing on the things where we have a comparative advantage.”
Australia and Tonga are seeking to finalise a comprehensive treaty known as the Kaume’a Ofi (close friends) agreement, which the nations last year said would be “transformational” and “write the next chapter of regional integration”.
It would follow recent pacts Australia has struck with Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, Tuvalu and Nauru.
Fakafānua, who attended the State of Origin decider with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Brisbane last Wednesday, said he expected the pact would focus on education, health and defence, including maritime awareness, disaster preparedness and climate change adaptation.
“We’re quite ambitious … It could be by the end of the year,” he said when asked about timing, adding officials from both countries would hold negotiations on the details of the pact next month.
Australia and Fiji have flagged they would welcome more Pacific nations with defence forces joining the Ocean of Peace military alliance they signed last week. Tonga would be a logical addition as one of the few Pacific nations – alongside New Zealand and Papua New Guinea – that has a defence force.
While New Zealand has expressed enthusiasm about joining the alliance, Fakafānua said he could see “pros and cons” about signing up. The Australian Defence Force could come to Tonga’s aid in a crisis without the need for a formal alliance, he said.
Asked whether he supports the Australian government’s position that policing and security matters should be handled by Pacific nations themselves rather than outside nations such as China, Fakafānua said: “I think when there’s a fracturing international order … we fall back on our neighbourhood for stability, and more so now regionalism is very important, and it’s good to see the Pacific family coming together.”
He continued: “Australia is a sort of a big brother in the neighbourhood, and we might have points of difference amongst ourselves, but like family, we tend to stick together more than we don’t.”
As a regional bloc, he said the Pacific was “a force to be reckoned with in the international sphere”.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a press conference in Beijing the test was a “routine arrangement” in China’s annual military training programme.
“It is consistent with international law and customary international practice and is not directed at any specific country or target,” she said.
Lachlan Strahan, a former Australian high commissioner to Solomon Islands, said Beijing had damaged its reputation in the Pacific with the “tone-deaf” missile test, which it fired with only a few hours of warning.
“Beijing can be very skilled at friendly diplomacy. They can flatter and make people feel special; they use a lot of highfaluting language about peace, the equality of states and sovereignty that appeals to the Pacific,” he said.
“That all looks pretty hollow now,” said Lachlan…PACNEWS
TUVALU – SECURITY POLICY: PACNEWS/TUVALU GOVT PACNEWS 3: Mon 13 Jul 2026
Tuvalu moves closer to first National Security Policy
FUNAFUTI, 13 JULY 2026 (PACNEWSS/TUVALU GOVT)—Tuvalu has moved a step closer to adopting its first National Security Policy after government officials and key stakeholders met last week to review the draft document ahead of its endorsement.
The validation workshop brought together representatives from government ministries, faith-based organisations, civil society, state-owned enterprises and development partners to ensure the policy reflects Tuvalu’s priorities and responds to the country’s evolving security challenges.
Opening the workshop, Secretary to the Office of the Prime Minister, Fakasoa Tealei, said the meeting was the final opportunity to confirm the draft before it is endorsed.
“Today’s workshop is an opportunity to confirm that this draft reflects Tuvalu’s priorities and provides a sound foundation for the future.”
Tealei said the policy takes a broader view of national security beyond policing and defence.
“This policy recognises that national security is much broader than policing or defence, it is about protecting our sovereignty, our people, our culture, our wellbeing and our way of life,” he said.
The policy adopts a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach to national security, covering issues including climate change, cyber security, maritime security, transnational crime, migration, energy security and economic resilience.
Work on the policy began after Cabinet endorsed its development in September 2025. The process included nationwide consultations, a Threat and Risk Assessment and drafting of the policy with support from the Pacific Security College.
Once endorsed, the policy will provide the strategic framework to guide Tuvalu’s national security priorities in the years ahead….PACNEWS
VAN – DIPLOMACY: VBTC PACNEWS 3: Mon 13 Jul 2026
Vanuatu to pursue legal action over Matthew and Hunter
PORT VILA, 13 JULY 2026 (VBTC)—Vanuatu will pursue legal options under international law after failing to reach an agreement with France on the sovereignty of Matthew and Hunter Islands following two days of negotiations in Paris.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Johnny Koanapo, who led Vanuatu’s delegation, confirmed that bilateral negotiations had reached an impasse, with both countries maintaining opposing positions over ownership of the islands and the permanent maritime boundary.
He said Vanuatu remained firm that Matthew and Hunter have always belonged to the people of Vanuatu and that no agreement on maritime boundary delimitation could be reached until the sovereignty issue was resolved.
“Our position on sovereignty remains unchanged. Matthew and Hunter have always belonged, and will always belong, to the people of the Republic of Vanuatu.”
Koanapo described the two rounds of negotiations, held in Port Vila in November last year and Paris this month, as difficult but respectful.
He said both sides exchanged extensive views throughout the talks, but their positions on sovereignty remained too far apart to reach consensus.
“We conducted the negotiations in a meaningful, respectful, professional and diplomatic way, but we firmly conveyed Vanuatu’s position,” he said.
Koanapo said Vanuatu also rejected France’s proposal to conclude a maritime boundary agreement while the sovereignty issue remained unresolved.
He said Vanuatu’s position was clear that maritime boundaries could only be settled once ownership of Matthew and Hunter Islands had been resolved.
Koanapo said Vanuatu could not accept any arrangement that treated France as having authority over Matthew and Hunter Islands.
He revealed that France had submitted a proposal suggesting joint management of the islands and allowing Vanuatu access.
However, he said the proposal was firmly rejected.
“I told them, ‘I will allow access to you instead of you allowing access to us.’ It doesn’t work that way.”
He said Vanuatu would not compromise on its sovereignty under any circumstances.
Koanapo said Vanuatu’s claim over Matthew and Hunter Islands is based on longstanding cultural, customary and historical connections that pre-date colonial agreements.
He criticised the historical agreement between France and Britain over the islands, saying it was reached without consulting the indigenous people of Vanuatu.
“France came and changed these boundaries together with the British without consulting our people. To us, what France did was an insult to Vanuatu,” Koanapo said.
He said Vanuatu’s struggle for recognition of its sovereignty over Matthew and Hunter Islands would continue until the country’s rightful ownership was fully acknowledged.
“Our journey to full independence will not be complete until Vanuatu’s rightful ownership of Matthew and Hunter Islands is fully recognised,” he said.
With bilateral negotiations now concluded without agreement, Koanapo said Vanuatu would pursue other legal avenues available under international law.
He said international mechanisms, including the International Court of Justice or arbitration, could only be considered after bilateral negotiations had been fully exhausted.
“Now that we have reached an impasse, Vanuatu will pursue other legal options available under international law.”
He said Vanuatu had respected the diplomatic process and believed it had fulfilled its obligation to negotiate in good faith before considering legal action.
Koanapo also questioned the absence of New Caledonian representatives during the negotiations.
He said discussions on sovereignty and maritime boundaries should include the people of New Caledonia because of their geographical and cultural links to the disputed area.
According to Koanapo, French officials acknowledged that New Caledonia should have been represented but said provincial elections prevented their participation.
Despite the lack of agreement, Koanapo insisted the negotiations were not a failure.
He thanked French President Emmanuel Macron for agreeing to direct negotiations between the two governments, describing him as the first French President to support formal talks on the issue.
However, he said Vanuatu would now move forward with the next stage of its campaign.
He called on all Ni-Vanuatu to remain united in supporting the government’s efforts to secure international recognition of Vanuatu’s sovereignty over Matthew and Hunter Islands.
“I ask all our people to stop complaining and pray for our country,” he said.
Koanapo also acknowledged the support of chiefs, pastors and communities in Tafea Province, saying their strong customary and cultural links to Matthew and Hunter Islands continued to strengthen Vanuatu’s claim.
“We are very determined to take this to the highest level to ensure that, once and for all, the issue of sovereignty and maritime boundary delimitation is resolved,” he said…..PACNEWS
PAC – METHAN CUTS: PACIFIC ISLAND TIMES PACNEWS 3: Mon 13 Jul 2026
FSM, Tuvalu back UN push for methane cuts, seek stronger global accountability
PONPHEI/FUNAFUTI, 13 JULY 2026 (PACIFIC ISLAND TIMES)—Pacific island leaders are calling for stronger international action on methane emissions, arguing that one of the world’s most powerful greenhouse gases is fueling climate impacts already being felt across some of the countries most vulnerable to global warming.
Officials from Tuvalu and the Federated States of Micronesia endorsed UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ call for greater global efforts to reduce methane emissions, while urging governments and industries to move beyond voluntary commitments and deliver measurable reductions.
Their statements reflect a growing push by Pacific nations to elevate methane as a priority climate issue, arguing that cutting emissions from the gas could provide one of the fastest ways to slow warming in the near term.
Methane is released through activities including oil and gas production, transportation infrastructure, coal mining and agriculture. While carbon dioxide remains the largest contributor to climate change, scientists have increasingly identified methane reductions as an important tool for limiting temperature increases over the coming decades.
Pacific leaders say the issue carries particular urgency for low-lying island nations already facing rising sea levels, coastal erosion, changing weather patterns and warming oceans.
“For Tuvalu, as one of the most climate vulnerable countries in the world, every fraction of a degree of warming threatens our land, our lives and our future,” said Maina Vakafua Talia, Tuvalu’s minister of home affairs, climate change and environment.
Talia described methane mitigation as one of the most effective but underutilized climate solutions available to the international community.
“It’s like having a remedy but not using it to cure a deadly illness,” he said.
Tuvalu’s statement focused heavily on methane emissions linked to fossil fuel production, including oil and gas extraction, transportation systems and coal mining. The government called for an “urgent phase out of the extraction and use of fossil fuels and a rapid transition to renewable energy.”
The Federated States of Micronesia echoed concerns about methane while connecting the issue to climate impacts already affecting communities across the Pacific.
“The Federated States of Micronesia applauds the UN Secretary-General’s urgent call to cut methane emissions,” said Florian J. Yatilman, secretary of environment, climate change and emergency management.
Yatilman said recent environmental conditions in Micronesia illustrate the urgency of addressing climate change and the greenhouse gases contributing to it.
“This month, the first signs of El Niño devastated communities in our archipelago. The waters heated and turned black, and tens of thousands of the reef fish we depend on for food suffocated and washed up on our shores,” he said.
“Scientists tell us it is only the beginning.”
He argued that methane reductions should not be viewed as a secondary climate strategy for small island developing states already experiencing environmental and economic consequences from warming temperatures.
“For small island states at the forefront of climate impacts, methane action is not a secondary solution. It is a primary, immediate answer to the crisis we are experiencing firsthand,” Yatilman said.
The statements build on previous commitments by Pacific leaders. In a 2025 Pacific Islands Forum communiqué, regional leaders called for collective action to address short-lived climate pollutants, particularly methane emissions, describing climate change as a grave threat to Pacific peoples, economies and cultures.
Micronesia also pointed to its status as one of the earliest signatories of the Global Methane Pledge, an international initiative launched in 2021 to encourage countries to reduce methane emissions.
“As one of the very first signatories of the Global Methane Pledge, we have and will continue to champion ambitious methane action and push at every opportunity for greater ambition,” Yatilman said.
Both governments argued that stronger international oversight and accountability measures are needed to ensure climate commitments produce tangible results.
Talia said countries and companies must be held accountable for translating promises into action.
“We believe that strengthened global implementation architecture is necessary to ensure countries and companies turn their promises to real action,” he said.
The comments also referenced a recent advisory opinion issued by the International Court of Justice, which identified carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide as the primary greenhouse gases driving climate change.
According to the opinion, states have obligations to regulate emissions and establish effective legal and administrative systems to prevent environmental harm.
Micronesia went further by supporting calls for a binding international agreement focused specifically on methane emissions.
“As the secretary general has clearly explained, voluntary measures are failing to deliver. More serious global action is needed, or it could be too late,” Yatilman said.
Looking ahead, Tuvalu said it plans to place a greater focus on methane solutions when it serves as co-chair of the Global Conference Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels in 2027….PACNEWS
PAC – DRUGS FIGHT: GUAM PACIFIC DAILY NEWS PACNEWS 3: Mon 13 Jul 2026
Bipartisan bill to continue decades-old Pacific drug enforcement initiative
WASHINGTON/HAGATNA, 13 JULY 2026 (GUAM PACIFIC DAILY NEWS)—A bipartisan bill introduced in the House of Representatives aims to continue a nearly decade-old initiative to combat transnational drug trafficking across the Pacific.
Hawaii congressman Ed Case and Guam Del. James Moylan introduced H.R. 9508 back in June, which tasks the executive associate director of the Department of Homeland Security’s Homeland Security Investigations division to establish in statute the Pacific Islands Liaison Initiative.
Originally stood up in 2017, DHS established the internal policies and procedures for coordination among HSI Honolulu, HSI Domestic Operations, and HSI International Operations to address transnational criminal organisations that transport illicit contraband bound for the U.S, Australia, and New Zealand.
If the bill is enacted, two Homeland Security Investigations personnel in Guam and another two in Honolulu will oversee operations.
The bill would also authorise an annual congressional appropriation of US$5 million each year from fiscal years 2027 through 2034 for the initiative, and require an annual report to Congress detailing the initiative’s activities during the preceding year.
“Guam sits at the crossroads of the Indo-Pacific, and we understand better than most that transnational crime does not stop at borders,” said Moylan in a 08 July statement. “The Pacific Islands Liaison Initiative is a smart investment in regional security.”
The authors said that much of the attention of drug enforcement in the Pacific has focused on precursor chemicals moving eastward to illicit drug producers in the Western Hemisphere.
However, cocaine and methamphetamine move through lesser-known trafficking routes from the Americas through Oceania to Australia and New Zealand, which are a more lucrative market for criminals.
“Those inflated profits flow right back to transnational criminal organisations in the Western Hemisphere, strengthening the networks that threaten communities throughout the U.S,” Case said.
According to Case, Pacific Island nations and territories have been used as transit points for the movement and concealment of drugs across the Pacific.
The bill has been sent to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on the Judiciary for review.
Marshall Islands National Security Advisor Chris deBrum, on Guam in May, raised concern about two narcotics trafficking submarines that washed up near the Arno Atoll in recent years. He said the subs came from as far away as South America….PACNEWS
NZ – SECURITY: PMN PACNEWS 3: Mon 13 Jul 2026
Aotearoa weighs joining Pacific defence pact as expert warns region must stay at the centre
WELLINGTON, 13 JULY 2026 (PMN)—The New Zealand Government is considering whether New Zealand should join the new Ocean of Peace Alliance as debate grows over how the Pacific can strengthen its security without losing sight of its own priorities.
Speaking on Pacific Mornings, Associate Professor Anna Powles, from Massey University’s Centre for Defence and Security Studies, said New Zealand exploring the agreement was “not surprising”.
But she warned the region must ensure Pacific voices remain at the heart of decisions being made at pace.
Her comments come after Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters confirmed New Zealand is looking at the alliance, signed last week by Australia and Fiji following China’s recent long-range ballistic missile test into the South Pacific.
Peters told RNZ’s Morning Report that New Zealand would continue working with Australia and Pacific Islands Forum members on a regional response.
“Our neighborhood is not an empty void, and it is certainly not a testing gallery for outside superpowers to conduct strategic muscle-flexing,” Peters said.
“The ‘Ocean of Peace’ is a foundational reality for our people, not just a nice phrase on a declaration.”
China has defended the missile test as lawful and part of routine military training.
Powles said Beijing’s response was expected. “I think that is a fair assessment,” she told PMN. “China has made some comments over the past week stating that it is routine, that it is within international law.”
But she said Aotearoa’s interest in the Ocean of Peace Alliance reflected wider discussions already taking place across the Pacific about regional security.
“I think it’s not surprising, certainly, and this issue, the issue of strengthening the regional security architecture is by no means new either in the region.”
She said the agreement should not be viewed as an automatic mutual defence treaty.
“There is still a degree of ambiguity to this. It is not an automatic mutual defence treaty, for instance.”
Powles also said New Zealand would need to consider what it could realistically contribute if it joined and this included whether it had the people, equipment and funding to meet any future commitments.
While the alliance aims to strengthen regional security, Powles acknowledged concerns that more defence agreements could increase tensions.
“The Pacific Elders [group] have come out very strongly over the past week,” she said. “The common theme is not simply a criticism of China but rather that all Pacific countries oppose any kinds of militarisation.”
She said Pacific governments were calling on all countries, not just China, to avoid actions that could threaten regional stability or undermine the Treaty of Rarotonga, which established the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone.
Powles also warned that Australia’s growing network of defence agreements across the region was changing the Pacific’s security landscape rapidly.
“The challenge… is that this is happening at pace and not necessarily with Pacific leaders and Pacific priorities and perspectives at the heart of it.”
That message has also been echoed by Pacific leaders.
Marshall Islands President Hilda Heine has condemned China’s missile test, saying the Pacific cannot be treated as a venue for military signalling and urging all countries to respect the region’s commitment to peace. Photo/Pacific Community
Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr said China’s missile launch had heightened fears across a region with a long history of nuclear testing.
“We definitely need to work together to bring tensions down and reduce nuclear risk for our ocean” he told RNZ Pacific.
The Marshall Islands, where 67 United States nuclear tests were carried out between 1946 and 1958, also condemned the launch, saying: “A region asking for peace is not a region inviting a demonstration of force,” a statement from the office of President Hilda Heine said.
Powles says New Zealand now faces a difficult balancing act. She said staying outside the alliance could leave Wellington with less influence over decisions shaping the Pacific’s future security.
“The danger if you stay outside is that you’re not part of the decision making.”
As New Zealand weighs whether to join the alliance, the wider debate across the Pacific is no longer just about defence. It is also about ensuring the region’s own priorities and voices remain at the centre of decisions that will shape its future security…..PACNEWS
AUST – MISSILE TEST: NEWS.COM.AU PACNEWS 3: Mon 13 Jul 2026
China’s Pacific ‘backyard’ missile test not making friends: Education Minister Jason Clare
CANBERRA, 13 JULY 2026 (NEWS.COM.AU)—China is not making any friends “by firing a missile over someone’s backyard” as condemnation grows over its unprecedented Pacific test, a Labor minister has claimed.
Beijing drew headlines last week after test firing a ballistic missile about 1000km northeast of the Solomon Islands hours before Anthony Albanese was due to arrive in the capital Honiara – and hours after the Prime Minister signed Australia’s fourth-only alliance with Fiji while in Suva.
The incident drew swift condemnation from across the political aisle in Canberra.
“Good neighbours don’t shoot stuff over someone else’s house,” Education Minister Jason Clare told Sky News on Sunday.
Clare said China would not “make any friends” by lobbing a missile “over someone’s backyard”.
He denied, however, that the launch was intended to coincide with the Albanese’s visit to Suva to meet with Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka.
China has maintained the missile test – which would typically come after a 48-hour notice period Australia was not afforded – was routine and in-keeping with international law.
Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy warned the region was witnessing the “biggest arms race, the biggest build-up of military since 1945”.
“That is occurring without any transparency or strategic reassurance. That is the context that we face.”
Conroy said the “nightmare scenario” would be a conflict in the region.
“We have to be careful about not getting into hypotheticals, but I highlighted when I represented Australia at the NATO summit this week that a conflict in the Indo-Pacific would be catastrophic for the globe, not just our region. We must do all we can to prevent that,” he said.
Conroy sought to spruik investment in defence, including SM-6 missile systems and Aegis combat systems, but would not confirm whether Australia would be able to shoot down a Chinese missile such as those tested in the event of a conflict.
“We’ve got a range of capabilities in service right now … the critical thing is you can’t stand still,” he said.
“This is a race where we need to make sure that the Australian Defence Force has the best possible equipment, and that’s why we’re providing the biggest peacetime increase in defence funding ever.”
Asked about a potential conflict over Taiwan, he continued: “We’re prepared for a conflict in our region. Everyone is working very hard to avoid it”.
“My main message to NATO is that the conflicts are no longer local, they’re global,” he said.
The launch also drew condemnation from Pacific leaders, including Solomons’ Prime Minister Matthew Wale who has led a push for a region-wide security pact.
The Ocean of Peace alliance signed between Australia and Fiji last week including provisions for more Pacific countries to join, though Albanese dismissed any immediate moves towards further alliances when speaking in Suva last Monday.
Clare dismissed the idea the missile test would deter other Pacific countries from signing pacts with Australia.
However, when pressed whether Australia was supportive of Wale’s calls for a region-wide pact, Conroy maintained it was for the region to lead.
“We’re up for it. But, importantly, it needs to be driven by Prime Minister Wale, given he’s the current chair of the Pacific Islands Forum,” he said.
Conroy would not divulge “confidential discussions” with Mr Wale and that it would take “a number of years” for such an agreement to be established.
“But, ultimately, it’s a decision of all the Pacific leaders. We act on a consensus approach,” he said.
Pressed on whether Australia was “on board” with the move if it was driven by the region, Conroy said “absolutely”.
“It would be consistent with our approach to individual countries,” he said.
“We’re proud to be the security partner of choice for the Pacific, just as we are the development partner of choice. This is all about peace and stability in our region,” he said…PACNEWS
PAC – WEATHER WATCH: PACIFIC ISLAND TIMES PACNEWS 3: Mon 13 Jul 2026
El Niño is underway: A warming Pacific, a shifting storm belt and a region learning to read every cloud as a warning sign
HAGATNA/SAIPAN, 13 JULY 2026 (PACIFIC ISLAND TIMES) —Barely recovering from Super typhoons Mawar and Sinlaku, island communities across the Marianas and Micronesia are bracing for extreme weather events supercharged by an El Niño predicted to be one of the strongest on record.
On 11 June, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Weather Service announced that El Niño had developed in the tropical Pacific. It warned that the warm phase of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation is predicted to intensify to a moderate or strong level this fall. Forecasters estimate a 63 percent chance that ocean surface temperatures in the monitored region of the Pacific will exceed 2.0°C.
El Niño is a climatic phenomenon characterised by unusually warm surface waters in the eastern Pacific Ocean, which can significantly influence global weather patterns and ecosystems.
A strengthening El Niño (Spanish for “Little Boy”) is heating up the Central Pacific, shifting tropical cyclone formation farther east and giving storms more time to intensify before reaching Guam, the CNMI and the wider Micronesian region.
“We’re still there on El Niño watch, but we are on the onset of it,” said Christian Williams, meteorologist at National Weather Service-Guam.
“The Climate Prediction Center predicts a very strong El Niño this year.”
According to weather.com, 27 El Niño events have been recorded since 1950. The last one happened between the summer of 2023 and early spring of 2024. They occur on average every three to four years and are one of the most important climate drivers on Earth.
“There’s a wet phase of El Niño and there’s a dry phase. We are currently in the wet phase of El Niño, which tends to happen when we transition from either La Niña or a neutral year to El Niño,” Williams said at a press briefing on 05 June.
The Marianas region currently receives a little bit more rainfall, he said. “We’ve more than doubled our average rainfall per year. In some cases, tripled.”
Every El Niño event is unique, according to Ken Graham, NOAA director. “Advanced monitoring and an improved understanding of El Niño patterns allow the NWS to better predict and better prepare the public and our core partners for what is to come,” he said in an article published in on NOAA’s website.
Depending on an area’s size and geographic location in the Pacific, El Niño will affect countries differently across the region, said Sefanaia Nawadra, director general of the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme.
SPREP, one of the node members of the World Meteorological OrganiSation’s Pacific Regional Climate Centre, issued an El Niño advisory for the Pacific island region on 12 June.
While some may experience drought, others may face heavy rainfall and flooding, he said. Some areas, such as the highlands of Papua New Guinea, experienced frost in June.
Twenty areas, including Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, American Samoa, Solomon Islands, the Marshall Islands and Federated States of Micronesia, will likely experience drought and less-than-normal rainfall, Nawadra said.
“These dry conditions may lead to water shortage and drought, reduced crop production and yield, increased risks of wildfires and added stress on food security and livelihoods,” he said.
Weather models also predict drought in the southern Cook Islands, Fiji, southern French Polynesia, Papua New Guinea, Pitcairn Islands, New Caledonia, Niue, Samoa, southern Tokelau, Tonga, southern Tuvalu, Vanuatu and Wallis and Futuna.
“The impacts of El Niño can be far-reaching, making it critical that we understand the risks, stay informed, and take practical steps to prepare for the months ahead,” Nawadra said.
Other areas in the Pacific are predicted to experience the opposite. Flooding and above-normal rainfall is starting to happen in the Central and Eastern Pacific, such as the northern Cook Islands, far eastern FSM, northern French Polynesia, Kiribati, southern Marshall Islands, Nauru and northern Tuvalu.
This will not only damage infrastructure and contaminate water supplies but also increase the risk of waterborne diseases such as typhoid fever and diseases caused by mosquitoes such as dengue.
“Having an evacuation plan in place is also important for families and communities in low-lying areas in case of flooding,” Nawadra said. “All family members or members of your community need to be aware of what to do, where to go and how to get there. Our plans must outline when to make the call to evacuate, identify the evacuation area as well as the safest route to get there.”
For Guam and the CNMI, which are still recovering from the impact of two of the most disruptive storms in recent history, the forecast is unsettling and residents admit any developing weather pattern is enough to put the Marianas on edge.
On Guam, the trauma of Typhoon Mawar’s 24 May 2023, landfall remains vivid. Mawar’s eyewall scraped the island for hours, ripping apart homes, flattening power poles and plunging tens of thousands into outages for several weeks. Families cooked outdoors, lined up for fuel and lived under tarps as insurance claims dragged on. Many residents say they still tense up when the winds shift or when the National Weather Service issues even a routine disturbance outlook.
In the CNMI, the scars of Super Typhoon Sinlaku are even more recent and more psychologically jarring. Sinlaku behaved unlike any storm in the past. Instead of striking quickly and moving on—the familiar pattern of Marianas typhoons—Sinlaku slowed, stalled and lingered over Saipan and Tinian for nearly three days.
“It was like the storm wanted to take up residence,” said a Saipan resident who spent 72 hours listening to the roof strain under relentless gusts. “We’re used to typhoons that hit hard and leave. This one stayed.”
According to NWS‑Guam’s seasonal outlook, the Marianas could see an unusually active storm season as El Niño continues to strengthen. Forecasters expect four to seven named storms to form or pass near the region for the remainder of 2026, with three to five intensifying into typhoons and two or three reaching major typhoon strength.
The reason is structural: El Niño shifts storm formation farther east into warmer Central Pacific waters. Systems that form earlier and farther east have more time to intensify before reaching the Marianas. During La Niña years, storms tend to form farther west, strengthening as they move away from Micronesia rather than toward it.
NWS‑Guam also warns that the elevated threat extends across Micronesia, including northern CNMI, Yap, Palau, Chuuk, Pohnpei, Kosrae and the Marshall Islands, all of which face increased storm activity under the current El Niño pattern.
In the months since Sinlaku, the Marianas have developed a new kind of vigilance, one shaped by trauma, recovery fatigue and the reality of a warming ocean.
Even a weak disturbance forming east of the Marshall Islands now sparks heightened attention. Social media threads fill with satellite loops. Families check generators. Businesses secure outdoor items. Emergency managers begin quiet coordination calls.
Residents say it’s not panic but conditioning. “After Mawar and Sinlaku, we don’t wait anymore,” said a resident. “If something is out there, even far away, we start paying attention.”
In the CNMI, where thousands are still repairing homes and replacing belongings lost during Sinlaku, the anxiety is sharper. Temporary roofing, patched walls and improvised water catchments make even moderate winds a concern.
NWS‑Guam’s outlook also warns that the region could face a much drier dry season from January through June 2027. The combination of El Niño‑driven heat and the massive amount of vegetation brought down by Sinlaku creates ideal conditions for fast‑moving wildfires.
For Guam and the CNMI, the threat of more storms is not only a public‑safety concern. It is an economic one. Tourism remains the backbone of both island economies, and the anxiety surrounding an El Niño‑charged storm season threatens to slow down the fragile recovery already underway.
Industry observers say the first challenge is perception. Even a distant disturbance can generate global headlines, and for potential visitors in Korea, Japan and the United States, repeated advisories, even for storms that never arrive, can create the impression of a destination caught in constant upheaval. In a competitive regional market, that perception alone can push travelers toward more predictable alternatives.
There is also the matter of hesitation. Tourists are increasingly cautious about booking trips during active storm seasons. El Niño’s reputation for producing more intense typhoons has already begun to influence travel behavior. Shorter booking windows, last‑minute cancellations and wavering visitor confidence are becoming more common, especially among families and first‑time travelers.
El Niño’s dry‑season impacts add another layer of uncertainty. A prolonged drought could affect hiking trails, cultural sites and outdoor attractions. Water restrictions—common during strong El Niño years—could complicate hotel operations and diminish the visitor experience at a time when the islands can least afford it.
Economists warn that the psychological impact may be as significant as the physical one. Tourism depends on confidence and confidence erodes quickly when a destination appears to be constantly watching the horizon. In a region where every cloud now feels like a warning, the challenge for Guam and the CNMI is not only to weather the storms, but to reassure the world that they remain open, resilient and ready to welcome visitors.
In a region shaped by wind, water and resilience, the Marianas continue to adapt to an era of slower, stronger and more unpredictable storms. NWS‑Guam has expanded its communication strategy, using visual briefings, social media and multilingual outreach to ensure warnings reach every household.
The message is consistent: prepare early, stay informed and never assume the last storm was the worst.
As El Niño strengthens and the Pacific warms, the Marianas and Micronesia face another season of uncertainty, but also one of hard‑earned readiness….PACNEWS
PACIFIC – FILM SELECTION: PASIFIKA TV PACNEWS 3: Mon 13 Jul 2026
Focus on Film selection to hone Pacific storytelling
AUCKLAND, 13 JULY 2026 (PASIFIKA TV)—Ten crews from Samoa, Cook Islands, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Hawai’i have beaten fierce competition to be selected for Pasifika On Air’s (POA) inaugural Focus on Film Masterclass and Shorts Fund.
A total of 43 teams from ten Pacific countries put forward applications for the new initiative, launched this year, by POA General Manager Nicole Rex Taofinu’u.
The successful crews consisting of Pacific-based filmmakers, producers and affiliated Pacific broadcast teams will explore Pacific story sovereignty, sustainable creative industries, and the storytelling development under the tutelage renown Aotearoa-born Samoan filmmaker and interim General Manager at Pacific Islands Screen Artists (PISA), Stallone Vaiaoga-Ioasa.
Nicole explains the initiative is designed to build long-term filmmaking capability, strengthen professional practice, and establish sustainable pathways for Pacific filmmakers to create culturally grounded screen content for regional and international audiences, rather than solely investing in content outputs.
“Our point of difference is we are combining capability building with content creation, which is future focused and exciting,” Nicole says.
“These talented teams will participate in a structured programme combining an intensive masterclass coached by Stallone and receive staged production funding of NZD$30,000(US$17,000) per team.”
With the additional bonus of all completed films premiering on PCBL platforms, and selected films entered into the Pacific Island Film Festival New York City, 2027, the quality and geographic spread of applications significantly exceeded expectations, Nicole adds.
So, while five teams were originally supposed to be selected, a further five made the final cut.
“Many of the teams demonstrated strong creative potential, delivery capability, and strong alignment with POA’s objectives – story sovereignty and development and nurturing sustainable creative industries – so we expanded the programme,” Nicole adds.
“While in many respects it is a challenging time for film makers, especially in the region, this initiative breathes new life and opportunity into the creative storytelling space.
“Our Pacific people are storytellers by nature, and I cannot wait to see what these crews bring to our screens.”
Successful Masterclass and Shorts Fund recipients:
*MP Studio (Apia, Samoa)
*Cook Islands TV (Rarotonga, Cook Islands)
*Pacific Standard Time (Rarotonga, Cook Islands)
*Suva Hotspots and Histories (Suva, Fiji)
*Tali Films (Suva, Fiji)
*The WANS Ltd (Port Moresby, PNG)
*Pixel Production (Port Moresby, PNG)
*Dreamcast Theater (Solomon Islands)
* Native Lens (Solomon Islands)
*Knew Country (Honolulu, Hawai’i)….PACNEWS
PACNEWS BIZ
FIJI – LABOUR EXODUS: FIJI SUN PACNEWS BIZ: Mon 13 Jul 2026
Fiji Opposition leader Seruiratu calls for national plan to tackle labour exodus
SUVA, 13 JULY 2026 (FIJI SUN) —Fiji Opposition leader Inia Seruiratu has called on the Government to develop a comprehensive National Diaspora Policy, warning that while labour migration is boosting remittances, it is also creating serious skills shortages across Fiji.
Responding to the 2026-2027 National Budget in Parliament this morning, Seruiratu said labour migration had become one of the defining features of Fiji’s economy, with increasing numbers of Fijians taking up employment opportunities in Australia and New Zealand.
He said remittances were expected to reach $1.5 billion (US$750 million) next year, providing a significant contribution to the economy.
“These remittances, contribute valuable foreign exchange to the national economy, helps strengthen household consumption for ordinary Fijians, and provides an important buffer for our economy during periods of uncertainty.”
Seruiratu also acknowledged the contribution of Fijians living overseas.
“I also wish to acknowledge the invaluable contribution of our Fijian diaspora living and working abroad. Through their hard work and sacrifice they continue to support thousands of families across Fiji by sending home remittances that have become an important pillar of our national economy.”
He urged Government to strengthen engagement with overseas Fijians through a National Diaspora Policy.
“Given the significant and growing contribution of our diaspora to Fiji’s economic and social development, I urge Government to seriously consider developing a comprehensive National Diaspora Policy.”
He said such a policy should encourage investment, facilitate skills and knowledge transfer, create opportunities for Fijians wishing to return home and recognise the important role played by the diaspora.
Despite acknowledging the benefits of labour mobility, Seruiratu warned that Fiji was losing skilled workers across several sectors.
“Many sectors of the economy are experiencing shortages of skilled and experienced workers. Businesses report increasing difficulty recruiting qualified staff, as with our shipping industry, while public institutions face growing pressure to maintain service delivery with fewer experienced personnel.”
He cited shortages of radiologists and technicians at Korovou and Levuka hospitals as examples.
Seruiratu said the issue was not that Fijians were seeking opportunities overseas.
“Labour mobility and migration is a genuine choice, and many workers leave to improve their livelihoods and support their families.”
Instead, he said Government should focus on making Fiji a more attractive place to live and work.
“The challenge, is how do we ensure that Fiji remains an attractive place to live and work. And that does not only require competitive remuneration, but also broader improvements in housing affordability, healthcare, education, and the overall quality of life.”
He said addressing those issues should become a national priority…. PACNEWS
NAURU – AIRLINE: CH AVIATION PACNEWS BIZ: Mon 13 Jul 2026
Nauru Airlines ends Pohnpei and Koror service
BRISBANE/YAREN, 13 JULY 2026 (CHAVIATION)—Nauru Airlines has ended scheduled services to Pohnpei and Koror, revising its weekly North Pacific Connector route from 03 July 2026.
The airline’s published timetable now shows the B737-300 service operating between Brisbane International, Nauru, Tarawa, and Majuro, without the previous extension to Micronesia and Palau.
The revised schedule is effective until 04 January 2027.
The airline has not disclosed the reason for the network change or whether services to Pohnpei and Koror could resume….PACNEWS
FIJI – AIRLINE: FBC NEWS PACNEWS BIZ: Mon 13 Jul 2026
Calls grow for Fiji Airways review
NADI, 13 JULY 2026 (FBC NEWS)—Fiji Airways is being urged to review its investment priorities as rising operational costs continue to put pressure on the airline.
Managing Director of McDonald’s Fiji Marc McElrath raised the concern during a post-budget forum in Nadi, calling for a reassessment of the airline’s tourism investments.
McElrath questioned whether the airline should focus more on managing costs as it faces increasing financial pressures.
Fiji Airways has highlighted rising operational expenses, prompting the government to introduce a five percent tourism services tax to support the airline.
However, concerns have been raised over whether the airline should also review its own spending and investment decisions.
Fiji Airways said it cannot comment on the matter due to confidentiality requirements.
Permanent Secretary for Finance Shiri Goundar agreed that Fiji Airways must reassess its investments and operations to manage the challenges it faces.
“We need to rethink about its investment in Sofitel. Can it be done now? Unfortunately, it’s too early. But we need to start thinking, planning, evaluation, and eventually a decision on Sofitel. Secondly, we need to rethink about our flight routes and fleet.”
The airline has reported an additional $150 million (US$75 million) in fuel costs over the past three months compared to the same period last year, alongside other rising expenses….PACNEWS
GUAM – FUEL SURCHARGE: PACIFIC ISLAND TIMES PACNEWS BIZ: Mon 13 Jul 2026
Guam Power Authority urged to pause fuel surcharge hike
HAGATNA, 13 JULY 2026 (PACIFIC ISLAND TIMES)—Vice Speaker Tony Ada is seeking the suspension of the fuel surcharge increase to ease the financial stress on several Guam households amid the island’s recovery from Typhoon Bavi, which hit the Marianas region last Monday.
“This is a time to look carefully at what is possible,” Ada said. “If we can help families get through this difficult period in a responsible way, then it is a conversation worth having,” Ada said.
The fuel surcharge, otherwise known a levelized energy adjustment clause, increased from US$0.135840 per kilowatt-hour to US$0.194150 per kilowatt-hour effective 01 July.
For an average residential customer using 1,000 kilowatt-hours per month, the approved adjustment will result in an estimated increase of approximately US$58 per month.
“I understand GPA has serious financial responsibilities, and this request does not ignore those realities,” Ada said. “But families are also carrying real costs right now. If there is a fair and responsible way to ease that burden, it deserves careful review.”
Ada said the goal is to start a constructive conversation about exploring options for temporary relief while Guam continues to recover from Super Typhoon Bavi and the lingering impacts of Super Typhoon Sinlaku.
Ada acknowledged that the LEAC helps recover fuel costs needed to operate Guam’s electric system.
He said his request is not to eliminate the adjustment, but to ask GPA, the CCU and, if needed, the Guam Public Utilities Commission to consider whether short-term relief is possible during this recovery period.
On the third day of recovery, GPA has restored 66 percent of its system load and energised 73 percent of its circuits.
Based on GPA’s latest update, total generation system capacity for today is 275 MW, which is adequate for the current load of 140 MW.
GPA said line crews are continuing restoration work on distribution lines in villages with minimal damage, while the generation teams address generators for water wells and wastewater service and transition to island power.
“As power lines heat up, weak points of the system will be apparent (e.g., storm-damaged transformers, fuse cutouts, lightning arresters, connections),” GPA said.
Ada acknowledged that GPA’s line crews, engineers, dispatchers, customer service representatives and support teams have worked long hours under difficult conditions.
“Many were also dealing with damage to their own homes and families. Their service deserves our gratitude and respect,” he said.
GPA advised customers that during this stage of recovery, some energised feeders may still leave pockets of isolated customers with extensive damages.
“GPA will return to restore service to those remaining customers immediately after all other feeders without faults are restored,” GPA said.
In the second phase of the post-typhoon recovery, GPA crews are addressing north, central and south sectors to restore as many customers (with minimal damages) as possible per feeder. Those with significant damages will be addressed in Phase III….PACNEWS
PACNEWS DIGEST
The views expressed in PACNEWS are those of agencies contributing articles and do not necessarily those of PINA and/or PACNEWS
How Beijing’s nuclear gambit gave Australia a surprise advantage
China’s missile test in the Pacific after Anthony Albanese signed a new defence pact with Fiji may have backfired, boosting Australia’s ‘diplomatic ammo’ in the region.
By Matthew Knott
SYDNEY, 13 JULY 2026 (SMH)—The Chinese tracking ship Yuan Wang 5 aroused no particular attention when it sailed into the Fijian capital of Suva last Friday. Why would it? Vessels from China’s People’s Liberation Army navy visited Fiji 20 times between the late 1990s and early 2020s, more than anywhere else in Oceania, according to a 2023 report in The Diplomat, a foreign affairs magazine. Chinese tracking ships can make up to four visits to Fiji in a single year.
Yuan Wang 5’s latest visit, however, proved to be anything but standard. The ship arrived three days before Prime Minister Anthony Albanese landed in Suva to meet his Fijian counterpart, Sitiveni Rabuka, and lingered at port as the leaders sipped kava and signed a historic new military alliance.
It remained there just hours later as China fired a nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile, fitted with a dummy warhead, thousands of kilometres across the Pacific, landing near the tiny island states of Tuvalu and Nauru. Two other Chinese tracking ships, Yuan Wang 3 and Yuan Wang 6, were stationed near the Federated States of Micronesia.
Military experts have little doubt that the vessels, which are fitted with sophisticated surveillance equipment, were hoovering up information about the missile launch and feeding it back to Beijing. “The significance of that vessel being berthed in Fiji’s capital in the same week Fiji signed its first defence alliance with Australia won’t be lost on anyone,” says Mark Douglas, from maritime intelligence company Starboard.
Beijing described the missile launch as part of its “routine annual military training programme”, an almost comical understatement of its true significance. Last Monday’s test marked the first time that the Chinese military had launched a ballistic missile from a submarine into international waters. Its most recent ballistic missile launch into international waters in 2024, its first since 1980, was fired from land on Hainan Island.
Such tests require weeks and probably months of planning, meaning it was not a rapid response to the signing of the Fiji-Australia treaty. However, Graham Fletcher, who served as Australia’s ambassador to China from late 2019 to early 2024, says he believes it would have to be a “brilliant coincidence” for the missile launch to have so precisely paired with Albanese’s visit to Fiji.
Beijing was sending a “deliberate signal” to the Pacific with the test, the veteran diplomat and China expert says. The message: “You can play around and sign bits of paper, but we have the raw capability. They are saying, ‘We can do it, and we will do it.’” Others, such as former senior US State Department official Frank Rose, speculated that the test was intended to put on a show of force ahead of this week’s NATO summit in Turkey and to coincide with joint naval exercises with Russia.
Either way, the launch was a forceful assertion of power over the largest ocean on earth, an area spanning more than 165 million square kilometres.
Sam Roggeveen, head of the Lowy Institute’s international security program, says it is clear that the missile launch was a technical success. But there is still much we do not know about the test, including exactly what type of missile China test-fired. There has been widespread speculation it was the new JL-3 missile, but other experts believe it was the older JL-2 missile, which has a shorter range. As for the striking timing of the test, Roggeveen says: “When these things happen, we overdo the subtext and underdo the text. The text is that when you have nuclear weapons, you need to make sure they work and that they are reliable.”
Rather than fixate on the timing of the test, Roggeveen urges Australians not to miss the fundamental point: our biggest trading partner is also a rapidly advancing nuclear superpower. China has built up a stockpile of about 600 nuclear warheads, and may have amassed about 1500 operational nuclear warheads by 2035 – about the same as Russia and the United States. David Johnston, the outgoing head of the Australian Defence Force, this week expressed his concern that China’s dramatic military modernisation is occurring without enough transparency of intent or reassurance to nations such as Australia.
The crucial fact of this week’s test was that it was fired from a nuclear-powered submarine, rather than from land. Nuclear-powered submarines are stealthy and can travel vast distances without refuelling. This gives China the capacity to fire nuclear warheads far from its shores and respond if its land-based nuclear arsenal is attacked (a so-called second strike capability).
Roggeveen, who last month published a detailed study of China’s military capabilities, says: “China is at the beginning of a nuclear-powered submarine building boom. Soon they will be producing more nuclear-powered submarines than the U.S.”
This means that this week’s test is just a preview of what is to come. “We should regard this as the beginning of a trend towards more and more frequent testing of such weapons because the arsenal is going to grow,” Roggeveen says.
The implications for the Indo-Pacific are profound, especially when one considers the terrifying possibility of a conflict erupting between the U.S and China, perhaps over the self-governing island of Taiwan. For Australia, however, this week’s events have opened up diplomatic opportunities as it competes ferociously with China for influence in the region.
Far from accepting the missile launch as routine, many Pacific leaders responded to China’s behaviour with alarm and anger. Albanese, who prides himself on stabilising relations with Beijing since Labor’s return to office in 2022, shrugged off his usual caution to label the launch “a provocative act by China, which does destabilise the region”. Solomon Islands Prime Minister Matthew Wale said: “China is a good friend of Solomon Islands, but this is not something a friend does. This is not good in our region.” Tuvalu’s prime minister, Feleti Teo, expressed “grave and serious concern and disappointment”, while Palau’s president, Surangel Whipps Jr, said he was “shocked and deeply concerned about this kind of behaviour”.
Tongan Prime Minister Lord Fatafehi Fakafānua tells this masthead that “any escalation to militarise the ocean is something that we join the rest of the Pacific family in not supporting. That goes for all superpowers”. Asked whether the missile launch damaged China’s image in the region, he said: “I think it’s created tension in the Pacific, and some of my colleagues in the Pacific have been quite vocal about that. So let’s just say it’s caused a bit of a stir.”
Fakafānua describes the timing of the test as “interesting”, noting not only did it coincide with the signing of the Fiji-Australia Ocean of Peace Alliance, but Tonga’s ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty. The Treaty of Rarotonga already formalises the South Pacific as a nuclear weapon-free zone.
China’s defenders point out that the U.S regularly test-fires long-range nuclear-capable missiles in the Pacific, including an intercontinental ballistic missile test launch last September that travelled more than 4000 kilometres from California to a designated test range in the Marshall Islands. China’s test, however, stood out for its short warning time: only two hours rather than the minimum 24 hours’ notice specified by The Hague Code of Conduct against ballistic missile proliferation. Not all Pacific nations were notified of the test.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong, who described last week’s launch as “destabilising”, rejects any equivalence between the two superpowers’ behaviour. “Previous U.S testing, particularly near the Compact States, has been agreed with or telegraphed to them, and obviously the United States has a particular relationship with those nations,” she tells this masthead. “There is a distinction with China’s action this week. This was quite a different type of political act.” (The Compact States are the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands and the Republic of Palau, which all have special agreements with the United States.)
While most Pacific leaders would prefer no ballistic weapons testing at all, they certainly do not want to see more of it. “China’s missile test is an own goal for them in the Pacific,” says Lachlan Strahan, Australia’s former high commissioner to Solomon Islands . “They have done what Pacific Island nations most object to. They are small, but they are proud, and they take their sovereignty seriously. They hate being treated like pawns in a big political game.”
While the missile test dominated last week’s headlines, the Albanese government believes the two treaties struck with Fiji last week, including the new military alliance, will stand the test of time as major foreign policy achievements. They come on top of last year’s Pukpuk Treaty with Papua New Guinea, and treaties with Tuvalu, Nauru and (as of last week) Vanuatu. New treaties with Tonga and Solomon Islands are in the works and could be completed by the end of the year. New Zealand has already signalled its interest in joining the Ocean of Peace Alliance with Australia and Fiji. While the content of the various agreements is wide-ranging, the pacts are undergirded by a core Australian objective: preventing China from establishing a permanent security presence in the region and locking in Australia as the region’s partner of choice.
These goals seemed far from assured when Labor returned to power in 2022, just weeks after Solomon Islands signed a sweeping security pact with China. Wong, who described that pact as “the worst foreign policy blunder in the Pacific by an Australian government since World War II”, embarked on a Pacific blitz after taking on the job, including visits to Fiji and the Solomons, and has returned regularly since. Albanese has attended every Pacific Islands Forum meeting since becoming prime minister and walked the Kokoda Track with his PNG counterpart, James Marape.
“Labor was really clear that the Pacific was a priority for us, and we had to change how we engage,” Wong says. “We needed to engage with respect, we needed to listen, we needed to act on specific priorities. You’ve seen the result of this in a number of transformational breakthroughs in the Pacific, including those achieved this week.”
Strahan, who represented Australia in the Solomons when the 2022 deal with China was struck, credits the government for “deliberately and steadily” amassing a web of agreements in the Pacific, saying that many “would have been unimaginable not long ago”.
Strahan, who last year published a memoir, The Curious Diplomat, about his foreign service career, describes China’s missile test as a mistake that will drive Pacific nations closer to Australia. “If they thought they could cower Pacific nations by lobbing a nuclear-capable missile into the South Pacific, they are misreading it,” he says.
Lowy Institute Pacific Islands program director Oliver Nobetau agrees that the test has provided “diplomatic ammo” to Australia as it seeks to entrench its influence in the region. “They can tell Pacific countries, ‘This is exactly what we are trying to avoid.’”
Still, what Wong has described as the “permanent contest” with China for influence in the Pacific continues. Fletcher, Australia’s former ambassador in Beijing, says China wants to become a hegemonic power and have military facilities scattered around the world within decades as the US does now. “We’re breaking new policy ground in this space,” he says, “but we have to stay on our toes.”
While Beijing is an economic and military superpower, Wong says: “We can offer proximity, culture, people, access to our labour market. We have the cultural ties, whether that’s NRL or First Nations connections. You’ve got to always keep focusing on the things where we have a comparative advantage.”
Nobetau says that as Australia continues to strike more agreements, it must focus doggedly on implementation rather than claiming victory and moving on. For example, the PNG-Australia military alliance came into force this week and will require huge work to integrate the two defence forces, including the Papua New Guineans who will serve with the ADF. “The expectations have been set very high with these partnerships, and it is up to Australia to deliver,” Nobetau says. “They can take a breath and celebrate their success, but only for a moment. Then they need to get back to work.”…PACNEWS
PACNEWS DIGEST
The views expressed in PACNEWS are those of agencies contributing articles and do not necessarily those of PINA and/or PACNEWS
Aid cuts leave at least one million women and girls without vital support
NEW YORK, 13 JULY 2026 (UN NEWS CENTRE) —At least one million women and girls have lost access to critical humanitarian support since January 2025 as unprecedented aid cuts push women’s organisations in crisis zones to the brink of collapse, the UN’s gender equality agency, UN Women, said on Friday.
The warning comes in a new report, Beyond the Breaking Point, which finds that those providing essential services to women and girls are being forced to reduce or suspend programmes just as global humanitarian needs reach historic highs.
According to the latest figures, around 120 million women and girls worldwide now require humanitarian assistance and protection. Yet the local women’s organisations best placed to reach them are facing severe funding shortages, despite often operating in places where international agencies cannot.
Struggling to survive
Playing a key role in some of the world’s most severe humanitarian emergencies, including Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Haiti, they remain on the ground long after international attention has shifted elsewhere, supporting survivors of violence, displaced families and vulnerable communities.
“Every dollar withdrawn from women’s organisations is a dollar withdrawn from survivors of conflict-related sexual violence, displaced mothers, girls forced from school, and communities struggling to survive,” said Sofia Calltorp, UN Women Chief of Humanitarian Action.
UN Women warned that agencies and partners are being forced to cut programmes at precisely the moment they are needed most.
Key findings
The report, based on responses from 855 women-led organisations across 52 crisis- and conflict-affected countries, found that:
*At least one million women and girls have lost access to critical support since January 2025 as a direct result of the steepest annual decline in aid on record.
*Nearly nine in 10 organisations can no longer meet current levels of need, while 84 percent report increased demand for their services.
*Women and girls with the fewest alternatives are being affected first – 63 percent of organisations have reduced services in remote and hard-to-reach communities.
*Gender-based violence is increasing. Eighty-six percent of organisations report rising levels of gender-based violence, while 62 percent say safe spaces have closed or been significantly reduced.
*One in five organisations has already suspended work on women’s leadership and gender equality as funding cuts deepen a wider global backlash against women’s rights.
Working without pay
Many women leading humanitarian organisations are themselves living through conflict or displacement, yet continue working despite the lack of resources. Nearly two-thirds report staff working without pay to maintain essential services.
At the same time, almost half say staff burnout is increasing, while 88 percent report worsening mental health among the women and girls they support.
Services evaporating
The impact of the funding crisis is already being felt across crisis-affected communities.
Half of the organisations surveyed have introduced waiting lists or are turning women and girls away because they can no longer meet demand.
Meanwhile, 92 percent report growing poverty among the women they serve, and 82 percent are seeing more girls leave school.
Behind the statistics are women arriving at shelters that have closed, pregnant women forced to travel for hours to access healthcare, and mothers unable to secure food for their children.
Beyond the humanitarian response
UN Women warns that the consequences extend beyond the immediate humanitarian crisis.
The loss of women’s organisations also weakens efforts to promote women’s leadership and participation in community decision-making. More than half of those surveyed report declining involvement of women in local leadership roles.
UN Women is calling for sustained investment in women’s organisations, describing them as indispensable first responders, defenders of women’s rights and essential partners in recovery and peacebuilding.
“Without immediate action, the organisations that have kept women and girls alive through the world’s worst crises risk becoming another casualty of war,” Calltorp concluded….PACNEWS
