PNG jolts donors over power grid roll-out as China sale dismissed

The chairman of Papua New Guinea’s national power provider has called for a faster U.S. and foreign donor roll-out of promised electricity infrastructure while saying there is absolutely no plan to sell critical grid

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Vanuatu prime minister visits Huawei, views policing technology

Vanuatu Prime Minister Charlot Salwai visited technology company Huawei in Shenzhen and viewed surveillance technology used to enhance policing and reduce criminal activity, his office said in a statement on Tuesday.

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Australian officials scrambled to halt China-PNG policing deal

China’s top diplomat pushed for Papua New Guinea to sign a policing agreement with Beijing during a trip to Port Moresby last month, forcing Australian and PNG officials to scramble to prevent an embarrassment for

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Fiji tourism looks to India, China

Fiji’s Deputy Prime Minister Viliame Gavoka’s busy schedule last week included a brief meeting with Indian actress, Rakul Preet Singh and her new husband, film producer Jackky Bhagnani. The couple were in Fiji for

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Australia pays controversial Chinese company millions for Nauru’s new port

Amid intensifying competition in the region, Australia is bankrolling a Chinese government-backed construction company with a chequered history to build Nauru’s new port.  In January, the Chinese Communist Party’s

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Opinion: It’s important to acknowledge PNG’s own interests with China

China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi is expected in Papua New Guinea this weekend to sign an agreement clearing the way for PNG’s agricultural exports to enter the Chinese market. This step has already caught

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Opinion: Where did that Chinese police video come from?

Last night’s 60 Minutes broadcast in Australia featured extraordinary footage of 2017 Chinese police raids in Fiji, followed by the extraction of 77 People’s Republic of China citizens, hooded

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Opinion: Yes, there are Chinese police in Fiji. But that’s none of Australia’s business

Sunday’s episode of 60 Minutes revealed a fascinating tension within the Fijian government about whether to embrace a 2011 agreement signed with the Chinese government that allows Fijian police officers to receive

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Nauruan president starts six-day China visit

Nauru President David Adeang arrived in Beijing on Sunday, embarking on a six-day state visit to China from Sunday to 29 March.   It marks the first visit by a Nauruan president after the two countries resumed

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Chinese Communist Party-Backed Businessman in Fiji is a Top Australian Criminal Target

Prominent Fiji-based businessman Zhao Fugang is a trusted advocate for China’s interests in the Pacific. But Australian law enforcement and intelligence agencies suspect he plays another part: as a senior organized

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China Southern Airlines to increase flights to PNG

China Southern Airlines is considering the possibility of increasing the number of its flights to PNG.  Last December, the Chinese airline company landed for the first time in PNG opening a direct route between

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Opinion: Micronesia in the Headlines

The rise of China and its role in the region is driving U.S. “re-engagement” with the island Pacific. In the case of those Micronesian states who have Compacts of Free Association with the United States (COFA), the

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U.S. passes deal to fund Pacific Islands pacts after delays

The U.S. Congress has passed legislation that will fund key U.S. agreements with Pacific Island nations, in an outcome that will spark relief across the Indo-Pacific after previous delays undermined efforts to counter

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Bill to fund U.S. Government includes money to counter China in Pacific 

U.S. congressional negotiators released a bill Sunday that would fund key parts of the government through the rest of the fiscal year, which began in October 2023.  Among provisions in the appropriations package are

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U.S. cautions Pacific nations after Kiribati gets Chinese police

The United States on Feb 26 cautioned Pacific Island nations against receiving assistance from Chinese security forces after Reuters reported that Chinese police are working in the remote atoll nation of Kiribati.

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China lures Palau with economic incentives to break ties with Taiwan

China has promised Palau economic benefits in exchange for the latter severing diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a letter the Palauan president wrote to an unnamed United States senator revealed.  President Surangel Whipps

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Whose tune is sweetest in the Pacific game of musical chairs?

Soon after Australia signed the Falepili union agreement with Tuvalu at the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders meeting in December, there was chatter that Nauru was next on the list for a similar deal with the Australians.

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U.S. will resume Peace Corps programme in Palau

The United States will resume a long-suspended Peace Corps programme in the North Pacific island of Palau as the Biden administration continues moves to counter growing Chinese influence in the region. The Peace Corps

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Allies ‘have to compete aggressively’ with China for Pacific security, U.S. warns

The U.S. has urged Papua New Guinea to turn down China’s offer of a security pact, increasing pressure on the prime minister of Australia’s nearest neighbour as he prepares to address parliament in Canberra this

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U.S. urges Pacific to keep Chinese tech out of undersea cables

Pacific nations are being warned against using Chinese technology to connect to Western-funded undersea cables or risk having access cut off on security grounds. Nathaniel Fick, the U.S. envoy for cyberspace and digital

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PNG MP coy on security talks with China

Papua New Guinea’s Foreign Affairs Minister Justin Tkatchenko Tuesday avoided questions about a potential security and policing deal with China, and instead extolled security relationships between PNG and Australia.

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Papua New Guinea in talks with China on security cooperation, foreign minister says

Papua New Guinea is in early talks with China on a potential security and policing deal, the country’s foreign minister Justin Tkachenko has said, weeks after deadly riots in the country’s capital.  Amid jostling

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Taiwan condemns Nauru for accepting One China principle

Taiwan has criticised Nauru for accepting China’s “One China” principle on Wednesday. Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said it expressed “deep regret and strong condemnation” after Nauru and

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U.S. to end CNMI’s visa-waiver programme for Chinese travellers

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has proposed the prescreening of Chinese travellers before coming to the CNMI as part of a transition plan leading to the eventual termination of the visa waiver programme for

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