Aiming to curb China’s influence, Australian prime minister agrees to kava imports from Pacific nations
- Vanuatu last year signed up to China’s “Belt and Road Initiative”, just a few months after Australia promised to enhance its cybersecurity capability
- There are still deep differences between Australia and its smaller Pacific neighbours over issues like security and climate change
Australia will allow imports of the intoxicating drink kava, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Wednesday, as it seeks to forge closer ties with its Pacific neighbours amid growing Chinese interest in the region.
Australia and China have been vying for influence in sparsely populated Pacific island countries that control vast swathes of resource-rich ocean.
Vanuatu last year signed up to China’s “Belt and Road Initiative”, just a few months after Australia promised to enhance its cybersecurity capability.
To improve cultural ties, Morrison told reporters in the Vanuatu capital of Port Vila that Australia would remove restrictions on kava, a mildly intoxicating brew that is deeply embedded in the social fabric of Pacific islanders.
“I know it has been an issue for some time, we have agreed that we would be working to … ease some of the limitations on importation of kava into Australia,” Morrison said.
Morrison – who has long campaigned on an uncompromising tough-on-crime message – said he had agreed to the new pilot programme with Vanuatu Prime Minister Charlot Salwai.
We have agreed that we would … ease some of the limitations on importation of kava into Australia
“That is for personal use, I should stress,” said Morrison, vowing to “make sure that is properly managed”.
Kava – once the drink of chiefs and spiritual leader – is the Pacific’s favourite tipple and a major export for Vanuatu.
Kava imports to Australia have been restricted since 2007 following concern that some indigenous communities were abusing the drink. But Australia’s rivalry with China appears to have swung the argument.
“Kava is culturally very significant, tied into many ceremonies in the region. Easing the restrictions will be welcomed in the region,” said Jonathan Pryke of Sydney-based think-tank the Lowy Institute.
Morrison, who become the first Australian prime minister to visit Vanuatu in nearly 30 years, will travel to Fiji on Thursday as part of a Pacific tour.
Australia last year offered Pacific countries up to A$3 billion (US$2.16 billion) in grants and cheap loans to build infrastructure.
Kava is currently listed as a controlled substance in Australia, but is becoming more accepted – thanks to use by Pacific Island communities and the likes of Prince Harry, who sipped the narcotic drink at a traditional welcoming ceremony in Fiji last year.
Pacific Islanders visiting Australia can already carry 2kg of the substance into the country, which Morrison in Sydney admitted was a “modest amount” and not enough for “one family gathering”.
The step was hailed as a victory for cultural diplomacy and as an effort to smooth sometimes bumpy relations between Canberra and what Morrison dubbed the “family region”. He is the first Australian leader in decades to visit Vanuatu and later this week will become the first ever to make a bilateral visit to Fiji. But there are still deep differences between Australia and its smaller Pacific neighbours over issues like security and climate change.
Morrison vowed to continue funding climate mitigation efforts, but Australia continues to dig up coal and pump out emissions that could help bury Pacific Islands underwater.
Salwai warmly welcomed the visit but stressed the need for “mutual respect and equal partnership”.
There were also few signs of progress toward a bilateral security treaty, amid Australian concern about growing Chinese influence and reported efforts to develop a military base in Vanuatu.
Additional reporting by Agence France-Presse
