Australia Urges Pacific Nations to Shun China Security Deals

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. (AFP)
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. (AFP)
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Australia Urges Pacific Nations to Shun China Security Deals

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. (AFP)
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. (AFP)

Australia urged South Pacific nations to spurn China's attempts to extend its security reach across the region Friday, seeking to fend off a high-level charm offensive by Beijing.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong was in Fiji on her first solo visit, seeking to woo island states after the Solomon Islands took Canberra by surprise last month by signing a wide-ranging security pact with China, AFP said.

"We have expressed our concerns publicly about the security agreement," Wong told reporters in the capital of Suva.

"As do other Pacific islands, we think there are consequences. We think that it's important that the security of the region be determined by the region. And historically that has been the case. And we think that is a good thing."

In a duel for influence, China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi was flying across the Pacific at the same time to discuss Beijing's plan to dramatically expand its security and economic engagement.

At the first stop in the Solomon Islands Thursday, Wang lashed out at "smears and attacks" against the security pact with the island state, speaking at a news conference in Honiara to which some journalists were excluded.

Wang took a short flight to Kiribati on Friday, the next destination in an extensive tour lasting until June 4 that will also take in Samoa, Papua New Guinea and Fiji.

- 'Partner of choice' -
Australia's foreign minister, who was sworn in Monday shortly after her Labor Party won May 21 national elections, said her country was a better fit than China.

"We want to be a partner of choice," she said.

"We want to demonstrate to your nation and other nations of the region that we are a partner who can be trusted, who can be reliable. And historically we have been," Wong said, pointing to Australia's record on providing development assistance.

"We want to work with you on your priorities. We want to work together as part of the Pacific family," she said.

The Australian minister said she flew to Fiji to demonstrate that the Pacific is a priority, and the timing was not influenced by her Chinese counterpart's trip.

She reiterated that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's new government aims to reset after a "lost decade" of action on climate change, an existential threat to low-lying Pacific islands.

Western powers have expressed concern over leaked plans to expand China's influence in the South Pacific.

If approved by Pacific island nations, the wide-ranging draft agreement and a five-year plan, both obtained by AFP, would give China a larger security footprint in a region seen as crucial to the interests of the United States and its allies.

The package would offer 10 small island states millions of dollars in Chinese assistance, the prospect of a China-Pacific Islands free trade agreement and access to China's vast market of 1.4 billion people.

- 'Access and control' -
It would also give China the chance to train local police, become involved in cybersecurity, expand political ties, conduct sensitive marine mapping and gain greater access to natural resources.

The "comprehensive development vision" is believed to be up for approval when Wang meets regional foreign ministers on Monday in Fiji.

As details of the Chinese plan emerged, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the Pacific could handle its own security without China's help.

The US State Department warned countries to be wary of "shadowy, vague deals with little transparency" with China.

The Chinese plan, if approved, would represent a significant change, facilitating everything from the deployment of Chinese police to visits by Chinese "art troupes".

Flights between China and the Pacific Islands would increase. Beijing would appoint a regional envoy, supply training for young Pacific diplomats and provide 2,500 government scholarships.

In a stark letter to fellow Pacific leaders, Federated States of Micronesia President David Panuelo warned the agreement seems "attractive" at first glance, but would allow China to "acquire access and control of our region".



Le Pen Makes New Threat to Withdraw Support for French Government

French far-right leader and member of parliament Marine Le Pen, President of the French far-right National Rally (Rassemblement National - RN) party parliamentary group, talks to journalists as she leaves after a meeting with the French Prime Minister to discuss the 2025 budget bill (PLF) at the Hotel Matignon in Paris, France, November 25, 2024. (Reuters)
French far-right leader and member of parliament Marine Le Pen, President of the French far-right National Rally (Rassemblement National - RN) party parliamentary group, talks to journalists as she leaves after a meeting with the French Prime Minister to discuss the 2025 budget bill (PLF) at the Hotel Matignon in Paris, France, November 25, 2024. (Reuters)
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Le Pen Makes New Threat to Withdraw Support for French Government

French far-right leader and member of parliament Marine Le Pen, President of the French far-right National Rally (Rassemblement National - RN) party parliamentary group, talks to journalists as she leaves after a meeting with the French Prime Minister to discuss the 2025 budget bill (PLF) at the Hotel Matignon in Paris, France, November 25, 2024. (Reuters)
French far-right leader and member of parliament Marine Le Pen, President of the French far-right National Rally (Rassemblement National - RN) party parliamentary group, talks to journalists as she leaves after a meeting with the French Prime Minister to discuss the 2025 budget bill (PLF) at the Hotel Matignon in Paris, France, November 25, 2024. (Reuters)

Far-right leader Marine Le Pen issued a new threat on Monday to withdraw support for France's coalition government in a no-confidence vote, after talks with Prime Minister Michel Barnier failed to satisfy her party's demands for budget concessions.

Le Pen said nothing had changed following the discussions, and that she was not optimistic a compromise on the belt-tightening 2025 budget bill could be reached.

"Nothing appears less certain," she told reporters.

The Senate was set to debate on Monday following its rejection by lawmakers in the National Assembly after revisions by lawmakers in the lower house.

Opposition parties are threatening to topple Barnier's government as it seeks approval for the budget, and his fragile coalition relies on her National Rally (RN) party for its survival.

The government is seeking to squeeze 60 billion euros ($62.85 billion) in savings through tax increases and spending cuts to reduce the deficit to 5% of economic output next year from over 6% this year.

National Rally has said it will support the efforts to oust the government if certain demands are not met. Le Pen said last week that the RN opposes increasing the tax burden on households, entrepreneurs or pensioners, and that so far these demands were not reflected in the budget bill.

LEGAL PROBLEMS

Le Pen's own political future is also under threat, with prosecutors seeking a mandatory five-year ban from politics for her alleged role in an embezzlement scheme. Le Pen denies the allegations.

Some analysts have suggested her legal problems may accelerate her plans to bring down the government,

Barnier's struggles to secure approval for the budget have fueled speculation he will invoke article 49.3 of the constitution, which allows the text to be adopted without a vote. Such a move could trigger a no-confidence motion against the government.

"It is true that we find very little quality in this budget and very little time for the government to try to increase its qualities and reduce its defects," Le Pen said.

Barnier was also due to meet other political leaders on Monday to seek a compromise on the budget bill. A final vote on the overall budget is scheduled for Dec. 12.