vanuatu Minister Defends China โPolicing Deal,Urges Australia โto Understand Pacific Needs
PORT VILA,VANUATU – Vanuatu‘s Minister of โForeign Affairs,jotham Napat,has defended his nation’s pending security agreement with China and cautioned Australia against attempting to dictate Vanuatu’sโข partnerships,according to reports โfrom the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. The comments come in โresponse to recent criticism from Australian Defense Minister Pat Conroy regarding the deal.
Napat stated โขthat Australia was fully informed of โฃVanuatu’s intentions to negotiate โa Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with China. “Australia knewโข very well, and we were up frontโ with them when weโฃ told them weโฃ are just wanting to sort outโ the way weโ manage our relations with our partners, and โwe are going to sign an MoU (with China),” โhe โsaid. He indicated theโค agreement is in its “final status” and will โขbe signed “whenever the two governments areโ ready.”
The โคminister also emphasized the differing security priorities between โVanuatu and its โฃconventional โpartners. He noted Vanuatu’s focus โฃon building police capacity and addressingโข climate change, stating, “With all the geopoliticalโ games going on in differentโฃ regions of the world โฆ what their interests โคare, might โคnot beโ relevant to us.” โ
Napat urgedโฃ advancement โpartners to engage in โคdirect dialogue toโค understand Vanuatu’s specific needs. โ”Our development partners needโข to come and sitโ with us and talk โwith us so they can โfully understand โฃwhat our needs are,and then weโค can work together to address the needsโ which are more โrelevant to our people,” he said.
The exchange occurs โขamid ongoing discussionsโ regarding the Nakamal Agreement betweenโค Australia and Vanuatu.โฃ A planned signing ceremony was โขpostponed prior to Primeโ Minister โAnthony Albanese’s recent visit,reportedly due to concerns โfrom Vanuatu ministers over clauses restricting investment in critical infrastructure by other nations. Despite these concerns, Napatโ expressed confidence aโค deal could be reached. Prime Minister Albanese recently โwrote to Napat to discuss progressing the agreement,โข tho a compromise โon the final languageโค remains uncertain.