A fresh stoush could be brewing between Australia and Vanuatu after a newspaper report claimed the Pacific nation was on the brink of signing a security pact with China.
It’s drawn an angry response from Vanuatu’s prime minister who says the agreement being negotiated with Beijing has nothing to do with security.
PM Jotham Napat has also taken a thinly veiled swipe at Australia after Australian officials were quoted warning that the pact could undermine ties with Canberra
While Australia was not named directly, Mr Napat expressed that foreign policy decisions were “not guided by external speculation or pressure,” and that speculations that the partnerships could affect visa arrangements or other matters were “unhelpful and not a cultural reflection of Nakamal values.”
Stephen Dziedzic, ABC foreign affairs reporter, told Pacific Beat that rather than a question of security versus economy, this agreement may result in “an argument over the contents, and contents that I suspect Australia believes could at the very least have major security implications.”