Australia signs Pacific defence pacts to counter China influence

Australia signed a security and economic agreement with Vanuatu on June 29 that bars any foreign military base or infrastructure in the island nation, then sealed mutual-defence ties with Fiji a week later as China fired a nuclear-capable missile into the Pacific.

The Vanuatu pact goes beyond a simple defence understanding. It says Australia will be consulted on third-party investment in Vanuatu’s critical infrastructure and will remain Port Vila’s preferred security and policing partner. The agreement was delayed for months after Vanuatu raised concerns that it could limit future infrastructure investment from other countries, but the final version preserved Vanuatu’s right not to host foreign military bases.

Australia’s next move came in Suva on July 6, when Anthony Albanese and Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka signed two treaties: the Vuvale Union and the Ocean of Peace Alliance. The mutual-defence treaty commits Australia and Fiji to come to each other’s aid if attacked. The pair of agreements give practical effect to the Pacific’s Blue Pacific Ocean of Peace Declaration and make Fiji Australia’s fourth alliance and first new alliance in decades.

On the same day the Fiji treaties were signed, Australia, New Zealand and Japan condemned the launch as destabilising, arguing it underscored why Pacific states want the region kept as an ocean of peace rather than a platform for outside military power. China said the launch was routine and not aimed at any country.

In 2022, Beijing signed a security pact with the Solomon Islands and triggered fears that China could eventually secure a permanent military presence closer to Australia and key Pacific sea lanes. Canberra’s answer has been to move faster on bilateral defence ties, pairing security guarantees with economic language.