Australia and Vanuatu have signed a long-delayed agreement about development and security on the South Pacific island.
The agreement blocks China or any other country from building a military base on Vanuatu. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese signed the so-called Nakamal Agreement with his Vanuatu counterpart, Jotham Napat, in the Australian capital.
Negotiations had stalled because of Vanuatu’s fears that an earlier version would have limited foreign infrastructure investment.
Australia is increasing economic support for the Pacific island, a nation of 350,000 people about a thousand miles east of Australia. A draft of the agreement included Australia paying Vanuatu’s government nearly $350 million American dollars over ten years.
Albanese said the deal “reflects and confirms Australia’s role as Vanuatu’s largest and most comprehensive economic, security and development partner.”
He says the cost of the agreement will be made public by December. Vanuatu is still pursuing an economic deal with China, but it has committed to policing cooperation with members of the Pacific Islands Forum. That group of 18 countries and territories includes Australia.
This is the latest of several agreements Australia has struck with Pacific island neighbors to restrict China’s regional security influence.
