Fiji AG says China proposed deal ‘simply a proposal’
Fiji’s Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum has sought to play down concern over China’s proposed deal with 10 Pacific nations covering policing, security and communications. Former Kiribati president Anote Tong
FSM President rejects China joint communique plan
China will seek a region-wide deal with almost a dozen Pacific islands covering policing, security and data communications cooperation when Foreign Minister Wang Yi hosts a meeting in Fiji next week, documents seen by
China seeks security deals with Kiribati and Vanuatu
China is intensifying its drive for influence in the Pacific by negotiating security deals with two additional island nations following a pact with the Solomon Islands, according to officials in the U.S and allied
Solomon Islands congratulates Albanese on election win
The Solomon Islands has congratulated Australia’s new Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on his election win as the 31st Prime Minister of Australia. Yet, “much however, remains to be done,” says Solomon Islands
China Foreign Minister likely to visit Solomons
Chinese Foreign Minister and State Councillor Wang Yi is likely to visit the Solomon Islands in coming weeks. A senior Solomon Islands government source told the ABC that preparations had begun for Wang to visit the
Japan reaffirms Pacific regional support
Japan, Fiji and Palau share the same concerns over a security pact China recently signed with the Solomon Islands, Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi said Sunday as he wrapped up a trip to the two Pacific island
Felled by its own Failures – How Australia’s inaction to reform logging in the Solomon Islands has let China in
We have watched these past few weeks as the evolving situation surrounding the Solomon Islands/China security pact has unfolded. It appears that every journalist and political commentator is suddenly an expert in the
U.S-Solomon Islands bilateral talks a success
On the China-Solomon Islands Security Cooperation, “We have no say on the SI-China agreement. We respect Solomon Islands sovereign decision. There is no misunderstanding,” stated the White House Official.
China and Solomon Islands sign security deal
China has signed a security deal with the Solomon Islands just days ahead of a visit by senior U.S government officials to the South Pacific country, exacerbating western fears over Beijing’s growing influence in the
Senior U.S officials visits Solomon Islands this week
White House Indo-Pacific coordinator Kurt Campbell and the U.S Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink, will lead a delegation to Solomon Islands, Fiji and Papua New Guinea
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
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
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
US labels Pacific Islands a climate ‘region of concern’
By Nic Maclellan A major assessment by US intelligence agencies lists the Pacific islands as one of two “regions of great concern” in the world, because of the adverse effects of climate change. The assessment of
Pacific Islands in the wake of AUKUS
By Kaliopate Tavola Australia also needs to temper its geopolitics under Indo-Pacific/AUKUS to allow breathing space for PICs to determine their respective China, et al, policies. This would necessarily mean a
AUKUS disrupts “a very peaceful part of planet earth”
With anti-nuclear sentiment on the rise across the islands, the Morrison government’s nuclear submarine ambitions have undercut the prime minister’s claim to be part of the Pacific family. “The sense of a regional
Australia to arm PNG patrol boats
The Australian Department of Defence has announced it will arm the Papua New Guinea Defence Force’s four new Guardian-class Patrol Boats. The equipment will be delivered through the Pacific Maritime Security Programme
Now is the time for an independent Pacific foreign policy and security think tank
Good foreign policy, diplomacy and sound national security in the Pacific Islands doesn’t just require solid ideas and good plans. It needs robust evidence of what works and a level of informed public debate on what
A Humanitarian Corridor for the Pacific?
Reflecting the growing concern over the Coronavirus pandemic, the Chair of the Pacific Islands Forum and Tuvalu Prime Minister, Kausea Natano, invoked a few days ago the Biketawa Declaration, a security
Solomon Islands after RAMSI
ON June 30 the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI) came to an end. Established in July, 2003, RAMSI has been a feature of life in Solomon Islands for more than a third of its history as an independent