PINA

New Zealand is hopeful the Pacific's reticence to sign a wide-ranging trade and security alignment with China this week could lead to a reversion of in-house regionalism. Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi is currently touring the blue continent, signing off on a contentious security tie-up with the Solomon Islands and inking fresh economic-based deals with Kiribati and Samoa. The centrepiece of...

Fiji is perfectly positioned to take advantage of the tussle between China and Western countries for greater recognition in the Pacific. Chinese Foreign Minister, Wang Yi is currently on a marathon visit to Fiji and other Pacific Island nations, calling it a mission of peace, friendship, and cooperation. Academic, Professor Tarcisius Kabutaulaka at the University of Hawai’i’s Department of Pacific Studies...

China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Tuesday signed agreements in Tonga for police equipment and fisheries cooperation on a tour through the Pacific islands region where Beijing's ambitions for wider security ties has caused concern among U.S allies. Pacific island nations were unable to reach consensus in a meeting with Wang a day earlier over a sweeping regional trade and...

Pacific Minister Aupito William Sio is set to travel to Fiji Wednesday while Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta is under increased pressure over Pacific relationships. Sio, who is also associate foreign affairs minister, will travel to Fiji from tomorrow to meet with Pacific ministers, and return on Saturday. He said he would be discussing shared concerns with other large ocean states, aiming...

Journalists covering the Chinese foreign minister’s tour of the Pacific say they have been blocked from filming or accessing events, and that not a single question from a Pacific journalist has been allowed to be asked of Wang Yi. The allegations raise serious press freedom concerns and alarm about the ability of Pacific journalists to do their jobs, particularly as...

Opinion by Ben Bohane China’s offering of a comprehensive security and economic pact to 10 Pacific nations shows it is confidently moving from a bilateral to a multilateral approach to the Pacific, and one that increasingly links trade with security. It is also an attempt to supplant the existing regional architecture of organisations like the Pacific Islands Forum. As competing...

A blockbuster schedule for the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2023 has been announced today with a full roster of teams and hosts as the dynamic, high octane Olympic sport continues to grow, evolve and engage new fans around the globe. The competition will be intense from start to finish with the prize of Olympic Games Paris 2024 qualification on...

The Sydney Sevens is set to make its long-awaited return as World Rugby announces the Sevens Series for the 2022-23 calendar. It is slated to be held on 27-29 January as part of the expanded series, the first time it will be played in Australia since 2020. Australia will enter as the defending women's World Series champions, whilst the men currently...

The Pacific island state of Niue has announced that it will protect 100 percent of the ocean in its exclusive economic zone (EEZ), which spans 317,500 sq km (122,000 sq miles), roughly the area of Vietnam. The water that surrounds one of the world’s largest raised coral atolls is the only place where the katuali is found – a sea...

Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG) President Ishmael Toroama says this general election will be the final election that Bougainville will take part in. He said Bougainville was preparing for the final political settlement (not before 2025 and no later than 2027) in its quest for political independence. “This election is very crucial to the future of Bougainville and who we elect as...