Australia asks PM Sogavare to avoid security deal
Australia Minister Zed Seselja met with Prime Minister Sogavare in Honiara, in light of the proposed China-Solomon Islands security
China
Rethinking Solomon Islands security
It has been an interesting couple of weeks for Solomon Islands, with stories of policing, weapons, replica weapons and a security agreement with China dominating the local and regional media. Let’s start with the
Solomon Islands PM assures no Chinese military base
Amid a regional backlash, the Solomon Islands said it would not allow a Chinese military base in the Pacific islands nation despite its plans to sign a security pact with Beijing. Following the initialling of a draft
FSM President appeals to Sogavare
The Federated States of Micronesia leader has spoken out against the proposed security deal between Solomon Islands and China. President David W. Panuelo of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) wrote to Solomon
Additional COVID funding postpones aid cuts
Faced with the prospect of another cut to aid while the COVID-19 pandemic continues – and in some ways intensifies in our region – the government has again reached for the “temporary and targeted” lever to avoid
Australia hands over Blackrock as China concerns re-emerge
The opening of the Blackrock Camp in Nadi this month signified the culmination of “close to a A$100 million investment” by the Australian government designed to support Fiji’s peacekeeping and humanitarian
Solomon Islands PM says China security deal ‘ready for signing’
Solomon Islands' PM says a contentious security agreement with Beijing was “ready for
Solomons: Putting a draft security deal with China in local context
A draft MOU between Honiara and Beijing on security related issues has sparked international headlines and worried response from
Australia’s vaccine diplomacy in Pacific islands wards off Beijing: Morrison
Australia has been able to stop an “incursion” by Beijing into the Pacific islands by talking with leaders there weekly and offering vaccine aid, Prime Minister Scott Morrison
PNG’s PM Marape tests positive for COVID-19 in Beijing, cancels France trip
Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister James Marape tested positive for COVID-19 upon arrival in Beijing on Thursday for the opening of the Winter Games and will not be traveling to France this week for an Indo-Pacific
Opinion: Guam, a prime military target for the Chinese
Guam remains a key target for the Chinese military. During the Cold War Guam was a target of the Soviet military in part because Sumay was home to Navy submarines that carried intercontinental ballistic missiles
Tokelau gets high-speed internet access, as security concerns edge China edged out of laying undersea cables throughout Asia Pacific
Tokelau, whose nearest neighbour is 500 kilometres away, has become that much closer to the rest of the world, after a new submarine cable landed on its shores, bringing high-speed reliable internet access. The
Boosting networks against transnational crime
By Nic Maclellan Last month Tongan police confirmed that more than 14 kilograms of cocaine had washed up on beaches in Vava’u. Police say the drugs have an estimated sale value of over $5 million pa’anga and more
U.S funding tapped for Pacific undersea cable after China rebuffed
The Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) will tap a U.S funding facility to construct a Pacific undersea communications cable, two sources told Reuters, after rejecting a Chinese company-led proposal that was deemed a
Vanuatu receives Sinopharm doses
Vanuatu has officially received the 20,000 doses of Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine and 22,400 syringes from the Chinese Government Monday. China’s Sinopharm was the second vaccine to arrive in Port Vila, a month after
Opinion: Chinese overfishing in the South Pacific devastates some Islands’ livelihoods
Chinese fishing boats’ illegal overfishing in the South Pacific has been devastating some island economies. According to two former U.S. officials, “illegal, unregulated fishing by Chinese vessels has become common
Palau’s new President takes a strong stance vs China
China has emerged as one of the key players in the Pacific region and at the changing of the guard of Palau’s leadership in January, new President, Surangel Whipps Jr. was expected to concentrate on the pandemic
No Chinese base for Fiji land
Fears of a Chinese military base at the Kiribati Government land near Savusavu on one of Fiji’s northern provinces have been laid to rest by the office of President Tenati Maamau. “The [Kiribati] Government
Australia, China and other aid donors must realise there’s a better way to help the Pacific
Covid-19 has only catalysed the growing geopolitical interest in the Pacific Islands. Donors have been tripping over each other to prepare for an outbreak of the virus. But, at the same time, this has only exacerbated
Undiplomatic diplomats
Around the kava bowl in Suva, people were discussing some undiplomatic behaviour by Chinese diplomats last month. Then for day or two, reports that Chinese officials had intervened at a Taiwanese National Day ceremony
Neighbours: Australia and New Caledonia boost diplomatic and defence ties
Eighty years ago, fearful of Japan, Australia sent a diplomat and a warship to New Caledonia. Today, Australia is mobilising defence and diplomacy against another rising Asian power. On the morning of 19 September 1940,
Fiji Kava signs China deal
Fiji Kava hopes to make inroads into the Chinese market with the signing of an exclusive distribution contract with Pumate Shanghai, which seeks to generate $8 million in revenue within its first three years. The
Fiji inks first loan deal with AIIB worth US$50million
The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) announced its very first loan approval for Fiji last week, making Fiji the first country in the Pacific region to access financing from the China-led multilateral