Australia’s ‘political win’ in the Pacific gets ‘mild’ response from China

Pacific island leaders endorsed a regional policing plan, but analyst says balancing ties with Beijing remains ‘important consideration’ for many

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Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese attends the Pacific summit in Nuku’alofa, Tonga on Wednesday. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 10:00pm, 31 Aug 2024

Beijing has been restrained in response to Pacific island leaders backing Canberra’s regional policing plan – a move seen as a “diplomatic coup” for Australia as it tries to counter China’s security presence in the region.

Pacific island leaders endorsed the A$400 million (US$271 million) Pacific Policing Initiative at a summit in Tonga on Wednesday.

Under the plan, up to four training centres will be set up across the Pacific and a multinational crisis reaction force of around 200 officers will be established.

Leaders attending the Pacific Islands Forum meeting pose for a photo on Thursday. Photo: EPA-EFE

China’s foreign ministry did not comment on the specifics of the plan but on Thursday said Beijing supported “all parties to make joint efforts for the development and revitalisation of Pacific island countries”.

According to Melissa Conley Tyler, executive director of the Asia-Pacific Development, Diplomacy and Defence Dialogue, a foreign policy platform in Canberra, the plan is a collaborative effort to tackle regional security concerns, including an increase in drug trafficking and transnational crime.

“While Australia will provide most of the funding, Tonga’s prime minister announced it as a ‘Pacific-led, Pacific-owned’ initiative that reinforces the existing regional security architecture,” Conley Tyler said. “It builds on the Australian Federal Police’s long engagement in the region.”

She noted that the plan was designed by the Pacific Islands Chiefs of Police, a regional body that brings together police chiefs to exchange information and drive regional policing agreements.

It comes as Beijing has strengthened its strategic toehold in the region, including through a police cooperation pact signed in 2022 with the Solomon Islands – one of China’s most vocal supporters in the region.