Australia and Fiji agree new security treaty with eye on China
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A storm cloud passes over the city skyline in Sydney, Australia, on March 21.
PHOTO: REUTERS
CANBERRA - Australia and Fiji have agreed on a new security and political deal, as Canberra looks to shore up its influence in the region and limit China’s attempts to boost its presence across the Pacific.
The two nations will sign the Vuvale Union, a new treaty building on an earlier partnership which was first signed in 2019.
Vuvale is a Fijian word for family, and the new treaty will cover security, economic and people-to-people ties, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said on May 6 in Suva, the capital of Fiji.
The details of the treaty will be finalised in coming weeks, Ms Wong said.
Australia will also provide A$30 million (S$28 million) to Fiji to help ensure a stable fuel supply, Ms Wong said.
Fiji is a supply hub for fuel to various Pacific island nations, which are totally dependent on imports for energy.
At the moment, there is still fuel coming to the region, but prices have risen, Ms Wong said, which is why Canberra is providing money to support fuel purchases.
In recent years, Canberra has signed security and policing deals with Papua New Guinea, Tuvalu, Nauru, Indonesia and others as it seeks to contain Chinese influence in the region.
It is also strengthening security ties with Japan, including by the recent announcement that it will purchase Japanese-made naval vessels. BLOOMBERG
