PINA

Beijing’s growing co-operation with the South Pacific is not a threat to Australia’s security, China’s local ambassador says, amid regional alarm a security pact with the Solomon Islands could pave the way for a military base. In a further conciliatory sign from Ambassador Xiao Qian, he said common interests between Australia and China should outweigh differences that had fractured diplomatic...

New Zealand Foreign Affairs Minister says she wouldn't be surprised by reports her Chinese counterpart is planning a formal trip to the Solomon Islands and has expressed her own interest in travelling the Pacific. Australian media are reporting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi could travel to the Solomons as early as next week, less than a month after China said...

Solomon Islands Minister for Foreign Affairs and External Trade Jeremiah Manele and Minister for Police, National Security and Correctional Services, Anthony Veke met with PIF Secretary General Henry Puna and his executive team this week at the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat in Suva, Fiji. The two Ministers used the occasion to update PIF Secretary General on the implementation of Solomon...

Solomon Islands' prime minister dismissed criticism of a new maritime investment deal with China on Wednesday, saying there was nothing "sinister" in the draft agreement. The new agreement, a copy of which has been leaked to the media, comes after a controversial security pact was signed last month. The security pact gave Beijing a military foothold in the South Pacific, and...

Listen, for a start. Getting down to granular, person-to-person engagement is needed for effective regional diplomacy. By Anna Gibert For almost 20 years, I have been working for, and on behalf of, the Australian government in the Pacific. And, like many of my Pacific Islander friends and colleagues, I was not shocked by the Solomon Islands security pact with China...

UNODC, the guardian of the UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), is facilitating a three-day country visit to Papua New Guinea (PNG) this week to review their implementation of UNCAC Chapters II (Preventive Measures) and V (Asset Recovery) under the Convention’s Implementation Review Mechanism. The reviewing experts from Burundi and Kyrgyzstan are participating in this country visit with the support of...

Samoa Supreme Court has ordered the Speaker of the House to administer the Oath of Allegiance for three additional women Members of Parliament in the Legislative Assembly. The decision by the Court means the Human Rights Protection Party (HRPP) members, Aliimalemanu Alofa Tuuau, Faagasealii Sapoa Feagai and Faatuatua i le Atua Samoa ua Tasi (FAST) party member Toomata Norah Leota...

Vanuatu’s push for the international court of justice to protect vulnerable nations from climate change has received the backing of 1,500 civil society organisations from more than 130 countries, as it heads toward a crucial vote at the UN General Assembly later this year. In 2021 Vanuatu announced its intention to seek an advisory opinion by the international court of...

As one of the Indo-Pacific partners of Japan, Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr said the partnership should also include strengthening of economic security. Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi made a short stop in Palau on Sunday where he met President Whipps with two leader agreeing cooperation to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific region. Whipps said he sees the visit of...

A range of common Japan-Blue Pacific priorities, including updates relating to the planned discharge of treated Fukushima nuclear wastewater into the Pacific Ocean, were discussed during a high-level visit to the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat on the weekend. The Pacific Islands Forum Secretary General, Henry Puna met with Japan’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Yoshimasa Hayashi as part of the Minister’s...