Australians should accept that Pacific island countries will engage with other countries, and instead recognise the gaps in our defence, development and diplomatic relationships with the region.
This election was a perfect storm for the Coalition, with fires, floods and international criticism dialing up the pressure for climate action. In the end, Australia made the decision for them.
To repair our relationship with the Pacific, the new government must make swift decisions addressing the climate emergency. But that’s just the starting point.
We talk about the Pacific ‘neighbourhood’, but too often Australia’s approach to the region has been of saying what we’re going to do, rather than how – and listening to the people it most affects.
A leaked draft security agreement seemingly proves Chinese spending ‘bought’ enough influence to get the Solomon Islands government. But such an interpretation misses two key issues.
Severe coastal flooding inundated islands in the Pacific last week, including the Marshall Islands, Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands. It’s a taste of things to come.
Pacific island nations have shaped the international response to climate change. At the United Nations summit in Glasgow, they’ll draw a line in the sand.
Kiribati President Taneti Maamau (rear middle) watches the country’s vaccination campaign roll out in early September.
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There are 191 different species of bat across the Pacific Island. They are vital parts of the region’s biodiversity, and many species have cultural significance.
Having been protected by geography early in the pandemic, Pacific nations are now battling serious outbreaks and struggling to get their people vaccinated.
Ophiojura, discovered living on a seamount deep in the Pacific Ocean, is the last known survivor of a unique group of animals that diverged from its closest relatives way back in the Jurassic period.
Faculty Member, Asian Studies Program, Georgetown University; Visiting Fellow, Department of Pacific Affairs, Australian National University; Adjunct Fellow, Center for Strategic and International Studies, Washington DC., Georgetown University