投稿者: Kate Lyons
Beijing’s foreign minister signing bilateral deals with leaders but reporters are blocked, sometimes physically, from asking questionsJournalists covering the Chinese foreign minister’s tour of the Pacific say they have been blocked from filming or acc…
Several Pacific nations reportedly want to defer action on the draft agreement or have it amendedPacific countries have declined to sign up to a sweeping regional economic and security deal proposed by China, after a crucial meeting of Pacific foreign …
Leaked copy of draft shows Beijing wants more involvement in policing, cybersecurity and marine mappingChina is pursuing a sweeping regional economic security deal with Pacific nations that would dramatically expand its influence and reach into those c…
Wang Yi will visit eight countries in 10 days, but media access to his diplomatic push has been severely restrictedPacific journalists have raised serious concerns about secrecy surrounding the upcoming marathon tour of the Pacific by China’s foreign m…
Pacific Elders Voice group says military tension ‘created by China and the US and its allies’ are secondary to rising seas and catastrophic cyclonesGrowing military tensions in the Pacific between China, the US and Australia do not address the most sig…
Celsus Irokwato Talifilu says ordinary people also worried about being caught in a conflict between China and the USA key adviser to the premier of the most populous province in Solomon Islands has expressed concern that the China-Solomons security dea…
Ambassador Daniel Kritenbrink warns security pact presents ‘potential regional security implications’One of the most senior US officials in the Pacific has refused to rule out military action against Solomon Islands if it were to allow China to establi…
There may not be a direct link between climate policy and the agreement, but it has contributed to the dimming of Australia’s reputation in regionThe Australian government woke up Wednesday morning to a Solomon Islands-shaped headache.Tuesday night, ne…
The 10-person detail was to be armed with pistols, rifles, two machine guns and a sniper rifle to protect Chinese embassyGet our free news app; get our morning email briefingChina requested that a plainclothes 10-person security detail armed with pisto…
Journalist Marian Kupu recounts the moment of the eruption and the panic that followedTonga is used to natural disasters, but they have never experienced anything like the last week.“We’ve experienced tropical cyclones, but this is so new and no one wi…
Tsunami waves reaching up to 15 metres hit remote area that sent distress signalThe Tongan government has raised concerns about the tiny islands of Mango and Fonoifua islands – north-east of the main island of Tongatapu – which both suffered catastroph…
EU states set to vote on proposal after commission found deficiencies including ‘the granting of citizenship to applicants listed in Interpol’s databases’The European Commission has proposed suspending a visa-free travel arrangement with Vanuatu due to…
PNG, where less than 5% of the adult population is vaccinated, is creating opportunities for the virus to spread and mutate, epidemiologists sayCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageExperts have warned that the next variant of Cov…
Pacific country says it faces ‘diabolical challenges’ due to larger nations and that they play a much bigger role in controversial industryThe financial regulator of Samoa, a Pacific nation implicated in the Pandora papers as a tax haven for wealthy in…
A team of medics hiked in the mountains for hours to take supplies to the small village of NakidaSee all our coronavirus coverageTo reach Nakida village in the highlands of Fiji, Dr Losalini Tabakei and her colleagues hiked for hours, up and down mount…