CANBERRA (BLOOMBERG) - Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong is planning her second visit to the Pacific in just a week, the latest sign of Canberra expanding its diplomatic presence to combat a concerted push by Beijing for greater influence in the region.

Ms Wong will depart for a visit to Tonga and Samoa on Wednesday (June 1) to meet with the leadership of both countries, according to a statement from her office.

"I look forward to listening to leaders in Samoa and Tonga about how the Australian Government can best apply the new energy and resources we are bringing to the Pacific," Ms Wong said in the statement.

Despite only being sworn in as foreign minister less than two weeks ago, Ms Wong has already travelled to Fiji on May 26, making this her second visit to the Pacific in a week.

Her diplomatic blitz comes amid a growing contest for influence in the region between Australia and China, both of whom have in recent years worked to gain the support of Pacific partners.

Australia and its ally the US rely on the Pacific for their economic and national security, while China is keen to gain the support of developing nations for its diplomatic agenda globally, especially in the United Nations.

In a major diplomatic victory for Beijing, the Chinese government signed a security deal with the Solomon Islands in April, sending shock waves through Australia's government.

Although the final details of the agreement haven't been made public, a leaked draft would allow Chinese warships a safe harbor just 2,000 kilometres off Australia's coastline.

At the time, Ms Wong described the deal as Australia's worst foreign policy blunder since the end of World War II.

China's State Councilor Wang Yi has signed additional agreements on fishing and disaster management with Samoa and Tonga during a rare eight-day visit to the Pacific.

However attempts by Beijing to sign up multiple Pacific nations to a wide-ranging economic and security agreement were unsuccessful.

Speaking during a visit to Fiji just days after being sworn into her role, Australia's Wong said her country's dealings with the Pacific "won't come with strings attached."

The US announced on Thursday that Fiji had agreed to join US President Joe Biden's Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity.