Australia has responded to China's push for 10 Pacific nations to sign a sweeping new security deal, as Foreign Minister Penny Wong and her Beijing counterpart launch duelling diplomatic trips to the region. 9News
nations to endorse a sweeping agreement covering everything from security to fisheries in what one leader warns is a "game-changing" bid by Beijing to wrest control of the region.Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese address the media at a press conference during the Quad leaders' meeting in Tokyo. Photo: Alex Ellinghausen
A draft of the agreement obtained by The Associated Press shows that China wants to train Pacific police officers, team up on "traditional and non-traditional security" and expand law enforcement cooperation. He is hoping the countries will endorse the pre-written agreement as part of a joint communique after a scheduled May 30 meeting in Fiji he is holding with the foreign ministers from each of the 10 countries.
Panuelo said in his letter that the agreement is "an intent to shift those of us with diplomatic relations with China very close to Beijing's orbit, intrinsically tying the whole of our economies and societies to them." He said that China "has a long history of friendly relations with the South Pacific island countries" and had long provided them economic and technical assistance without any political strings attached.
The May 30 meeting will be the second between Wang and the Pacific islands' foreign ministers after they held a virtual meeting last October.New report warns of increase in 'extreme' rainfall in Australia following east coast floods The agreement says the countries will strengthen "cooperation in the fields of traditional and non-traditional security" and will "expand law enforcement cooperation, jointly combat transnational crime, and establish a dialog mechanism on law enforcement capacity and police cooperation."
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