In the heart of Bougainville lies Panguna, home to one of the world’s largest copper mines. President Ishmael Toroama knows he has a limited window to revive the mine and along with it, the hopes of the soon-to-be world’s youngest nation. Yet precarious waters lie ahead. Millions of dollars of investment are needed, corruption remains…
‘Incorruptible’: The Man Standing Between Beijing and One of the World’s Largest Copper Mines
July 26, 2022
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Asia & PacificAustraliabougainvilleChinaGlobal ExpansionInternationalInternational RelationsIshmael ToroamaJohn KuhnsJohn MomisSouth PacificSpecial TopicsUSUS NewsWorld
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Australia to Shore up Pacific Ties With Expanded Migration Program
July 14, 2022
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anthony albaneseAsia & PacificAustraliaBusiness & MarketsChinaChina-Australia Relationseconomic policiesInternationalInternational RelationsSouth PacificWorld
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The Australian government will expand its labour program to bring more Pacific Islander workers to the country in a bid to shore up relations with the region. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility program, which already assists around 25,000 workers, will be expanded to include the services sector, notably aged care,…
Australian Telco Finalises $1.6 Billion Buyout of Digicel to Keep It out of Chinese Hands
July 14, 2022
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Asia & PacificAustraliaBusiness & MarketsChinaChina Business & EconomyChina-Australia RelationsCompaniesDigiceleconomic policiesInternationalInternational RelationsPenny WongSouth PacificTelstraWorld
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Australian telecommunications giant Telstra, with backing from the federal government, will finalise its purchase of major Pacific mobile network provider Digicel Pacific. In October 2021, the previous Morrison government launched the bid to keep out potential Chinese suitors from gaining control over Digicel’s data network—the largest in the Pacific region. Current Foreign Minister Penny Wong…
Chinese Officials Evicted From Pacific Forum Address
July 14, 2022
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anthony albaneseAsia & PacificAustraliaChinaChina-Australia RelationsGlobal ExpansionInternationalInternational RelationsKamala HarrisPacific Islands ForumSouth PacificSpecial TopicsWorld
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Two Chinese officials were discovered secretly attending an address by U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris to the Pacific Islands Forum. The officials were sitting along with the media contingent before a reporter noticed them from The Guardian newspaper, who recognised the two males. When questioned on whether they were representing the Xinhua News Agency or…
Kiribati Withdraws From Pacific Islands Forum, Further Weakening the West’s Bulwark Against Beijing
July 11, 2022
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Asia & PacificAustraliaChinaChina-Australia RelationsGlobal ExpansionInternationalInternational RelationsJacinda ArdernKiribatiNational SecurityPacific Islands ForumSouth PacificSpecial TopicsTaneti MaamauUSWorld
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The Pacific Islands Forum has been dealt a heavy blow after the surprise withdrawal of Kiribati from the regional body—the peak intergovernmental organisation in the region. The move comes amid ongoing dissatisfaction from Micronesian countries in the Forum, a festering issue that has erupted amid Beijing’s ongoing influence in the region. On July 10, news…
Kiribati Withdraws From Pacific Islands Forum, Further Weakening West’s Bulwark Against Beijing
July 11, 2022
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Asia & PacificAustraliaChinaChina-Australia RelationsGlobal ExpansionInternationalInternational RelationsJacinda ArdernKiribatiNational SecurityPacific Islands ForumSouth PacificSpecial TopicsTaneti MaamauUSWorld
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The surprise withdrawal of Kiribati from the Pacific Islands Forum has dealt a heavy blow to the regional body—the peak intergovernmental organisation in the region. The move comes amid ongoing dissatisfaction from Micronesian countries in the Forum, a festering issue that has erupted amid Beijing’s ongoing influence in the region. On July 10, news of Kiribati’s…
Fiji Grants Licenses to Chinese Mining Firm to Search for Gold
July 8, 2022
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Asia & PacificAustraliaChinaChina Business & EconomyChina-Australia RelationsChinese miningFijiGlobal ExpansionInternationalInternational RelationsSouth PacificSpecial TopicsWorld
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Fiji’s Lands and Mineral Resources Ministry has issued two special prospecting licenses to Chinese mining company Ding Jing Mining Pty Ltd more than a year after local residents raised objections to the move. It comes amid concerns of Beijing’s ongoing influence in the Pacific following Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s tour of eight Pacific nations….
Faults Found in Australian Naval Patrol Boats Gifted to Pacific Nations
June 30, 2022
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Asia & PacificAustalAustraliaBusiness & MarketsChinaChina-Australia RelationsCompaniesInternationalInternational RelationsLittoral Combat ShipNational SecuritySouth PacificUSUS NewsWorld
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A hiccup has emerged in Australia’s relationship-building efforts in the Pacific after technical defects were discovered in a fleet of Guardian-class patrol boats delivered to island nations under the Pacific Maritime Security Program. The $2.1 billion Program (US$1.45 billion), part of the wider Pacific Step-up initiative, promised the delivery of 22 patrol vessels to Pacific…
Tuvalu Foreign Minister Opts out of UN Conference After China Blocks Taiwanese Delegates
June 27, 2022
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Asia & PacificAustraliaChinaChina-Australia RelationsInternationalInternational RelationsSimon KofeSouth PacificSpecial TopicsTaiwanTuvaluWorld
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Tuvalu’s foreign minister has pulled out of the United Nations’ Ocean Conference on June 27 after China blocked three Taiwanese delegates from attending. Tuvalu’s Simon Kofe diverted his flight to Brisbane, Australia and headed early to Fiji for the Pacific Islands Forum in mid-July. The Pacific Islands Forum involves all Pacific nations, as well as…
New Pacific Pact Proposal Designed to Beat Back Beijing’s Unrestricted Warfare
June 23, 2022
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Asia & PacificAustraliaChinaChina-Australia Relationshybrid warfareInternationalInternational RelationsmilitaryPacific Islands ForumPartners in the Blue PacificSouth PacificUKUnrestricted WarfareUSUS NewsUS-China relationsWorld
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Democratic countries are proposing a new Pacific-wide pact to strengthen cooperation and development efforts in the region to combat Beijing’s influence building and hybrid warfare operations. The “Partners in the Blue Pacific” would involve the United States, Australia, France, Japan, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom to provide “closer, more purposeful, and more ambitious cooperation.”…
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