PINA

An anti-corruption group in Solomon Islands says the government's move to sign a security agreement with China is just another controversial policy decision it has made in recent years. The Pacific country has drawn criticism from Australia and New Zealand after a draft copy of the security agreement being brokered with China was leaked. Transparency Solomon Islands chief executive in Honiara...

The United Nations Deputy Secretary-General on Monday called on countries in Asia and the Pacific to speed up the shift from fossil fuels to new, low-carbon development models, in a just and inclusive way. “Moving away from coal and fossil fuels in a region that accounts for 75 percent of global coal-fired generation capacity will not be easy. But it...

Australia has lost influence in the Pacific by failing to act on climate and cutting foreign aid, Anthony Albanese says, amid concerns about China’s proposed security deal with Solomon Islands. Australia and New Zealand are worried the draft agreement could jeopardise regional stability, with China having the opportunity to base navy warships in the Pacific less than 2,000km off the...

Australia has been told it must do more to counter China’s growing influence in Papua New Guinea after the Solomon Islands’ shock security deal with Beijing forced a last-minute lobbying campaign across the Pacific. In phone calls on Monday evening with Fiji and Papua New Guinea, Prime Minister Scott Morrison asked the two Pacific nations to help convince the Solomon...

National Capital District Governor and a member of the Papua New Guinea Special Parliamentary Committee on Gender Based Violence(GVB) Powes Parkop expressed his disappointment over the recent enactments in Parliament stating that despite almost 10 years of fighting for women’s seats in parliament nothing has been done to date to realise that. “In just one go they’ve created 13 new...

Pacific officials have started a four-week training course to help them proactively engage with negotiations and implementation of e-commerce rules. As stressed by the Pacific Regional E-commerce Strategy and Roadmap, the regulatory environment is an essential enabler of e-commerce readiness. Currently, many Pacific countries require support to negotiate and implement rules suitable to boost digital trade. To address these gaps, the...

RNZ Pacific's regional correspondent, Kelvin Anthony spoke to President Surangel Whipps Jr, of Palau, on a range of issues including. *The response and recovery from Covid-19 *The emergency rift at the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) *Palau's new digital residency programme *The Ocean's Conference *The escalation of military activity in the Pacific * Climate change *The implications of the planned ending of some of the US economic...

By Anna Powles and Joanne Wallis When the draft security agreement between Solomon Islands and China landed in the news cycle on Thursday, we shared a sense of dread. Initial analysis of the agreement in the Australian media was typically narrow and, at times, downright unhelpful. The most outlandish claim was that Australia should be prepared to ‘invade’ Solomon Islands...

An uneven post-pandemic economic recovery is threatening to widen inequalities and intensify the social and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic across Asia and the Pacific, threatening decades of progress, said a new report released on Monday. The Asia-Pacific region is showing signs of a “K-shaped recovery”, according to the report, typically marked by a divergence of economic and social...

Moana Pasifika and the Blues have confirmed their sides for Tuesday's clash at Mt Smart Stadium. It will make the first of two matches between the two teams, making up for their postponed match in round one. With this in mind, both teams have opted to make several changes from the teams which secured victories on Saturday. Moana Pasifika have confirmed Samoan...