Some say switching diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing has fuelled resentment of Chinese influence. But violence has long dogged the islands.

Analysts say they could also leverage the interests of external powers to drive their own security agenda, especially if they remain united.

Buruli ulcer first emerged in Australia in the early 1900s, but cases have skyrocketed in recent years. The disease can lead to large open wounds, and if untreated, permanent disfiguration and disability.

While buyers from Japan, Singapore and the Philippines are keen, most supply is being snapped up by New Zealanders owning multiple properties on the back of ultra-low interest rates and post-pandemic demand that have pushed house prices up 23 per cent in the past year.

Five of the Pacific Islands Forum’s 18 members have announced plans to withdraw, prompting concern that disarray presents an opportunity for Beijing.

Analysts say state-owned China Mobile’s purchase of Digicel will allow Beijing to spy on Australia’s neighbours, with Canberra now apparently willing to finance a potential buyer to fend off China’s advances.

Siblings from a political family claim Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum tried to kill them as part of a plot by an Indo-Fijian pro-democracy group after the 1987 coup.

Political uncertainty and the Covid-19 pandemic are driving some Americans to apply for visas to New Zealand, overtaking Chinese applicants.

Residents of Australia’s cultural capital were quick to celebrate the city overcoming its second wave of infection, but the lockdown was bad for business – and specialists warn this is far from ‘game over’.

The Pacific island overseas territory will hold an independence referendum this weekend on whether to finally break ties with its long-time colonial master, with some betting that China could step into the void.

Record-breaking seizures of smuggled fins show that a growing appetite from Asia is taking a toll on underwater ecosystems and fishing communities.

Covid-19 might be fatal for many firms, but in Australia it has created the perfect business conditions for a shadowy gang known as ‘The Company’ to peddle drugs.

The episode has shown how closely Beijing’s ties with Pacific island nations are being scrutinised amid a battle between the US and China for influence in the region.

A mix of Covid-19, falling immigration and a mismatch in supply and demand are proving a toxic mix for property in Sydney and Melbourne. And to top it off, interest from Chinese buyers is slumping.

Fraying diplomatic ties between Canberra and Beijing have led to talk of conspiracy, but China owns just 1.9 per cent of Australia’s water market.

A Singapore firm plans to provide a fifth of the city’s energy through an undersea cable linked to a solar farm 3,800km away in Australia. And a billionaire backer says that’s not as ‘insane’ as it may sound.

Jacinda Ardern’s success in containing Covid-19 is helping to fuel investment interest in New Zealand.

A ‘trans-Pacific travel bubble’ could boost Canberra in its strategic competition with Beijing for hearts and minds, but one-upmanship could end in a game of ‘whack-a-mole’, experts warn.

Foreign students in Australia’s US$24 billion education industry have been told to go home if they run out of funds. But the economy could lose up to US$38.4 billion over the next three years if they can’t return, according to one estimate.