Newly elected Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Pacific leaders have been “very positive” about his government’s renewed engagement, even as Beijing continues its diplomatic blitz across the increasingly contested region.
The comments from Albanese — aired yesterday in an interview with Sky News — came as Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi (王毅) visited Fiji for closely watched meetings with the island nation’s leaders and other Pacific foreign ministers.
Wang, who began his South Pacific tour on Thursday in the Solomon Islands, is expected to discuss with his fellow foreign ministers a wide-ranging draft agreement and five-year plan, which was leaked last week.
Photo: Reuters
The leaked drafts, obtained by Agence France-Presse, were circulated to at least 10 Pacific nations ahead of the Fiji meeting, sparking concern about Beijing’s ambitions to dramatically expand security and economic cooperation within the South Pacific.
Albanese was scathing in his assessment of the former Australian government’s Pacific plan, saying that it had “dropped the ball” in the region — blaming foreign aid cuts and “a nonengagement on values.”
“For our Pacific island neighbors, the issue of climate change is an absolute national security issue,” he said.
In addition to increased action on the environment, Albanese touted a boost in aid and a plan to set up a defense training school in the Pacific.
During Australia’s election campaign, Albanese’s centre-left Labor Party said the school would involve forces from Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Tonga, East Timor, Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands.
Albanese said Australia’s renewed diplomatic push in the Pacific, which began with a visit to Fiji by Australian Minister of Foreign Affairs Penny Wong (黃英賢) had been well-received.
“The response has been very positive,” he said.
Australia and China have been locked in a tense duel for influence in the Pacific, after Beijing last month surprised Canberra by securing a wide-ranging security pact with the Solomon Islands.
Wang is expected to remain in Fiji’s capital until at least tomorrow, meeting with the country’s leaders and hosting the second China-Pacific Island Countries Foreign Ministers’ meeting.
Wang met yesterday with Pacific Islands Forum Secretary-General Henry Puna, who said economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and “urgent and ambitious climate change action” were key issues for their discussion.
“We welcome China’s climate change commitments,” Puna said.
Wang is expected to visit Tonga, Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea to round out his tour.
Super Typhoon Kong-rey is the largest cyclone to impact Taiwan in 27 years, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said today. Kong-rey’s radius of maximum wind (RMW) — the distance between the center of a cyclone and its band of strongest winds — has expanded to 320km, CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張竣堯) said. The last time a typhoon of comparable strength with an RMW larger than 300km made landfall in Taiwan was Typhoon Herb in 1996, he said. Herb made landfall between Keelung and Suao (蘇澳) in Yilan County with an RMW of 350km, Chang said. The weather station in Alishan (阿里山) recorded 1.09m of
STORM’S PATH: Kong-Rey could be the first typhoon to make landfall in Taiwan in November since Gilda in 1967. Taitung-Green Island ferry services have been halted Tropical Storm Kong-rey is forecast to strengthen into a typhoon early today and could make landfall in Taitung County between late Thursday and early Friday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 2pm yesterday, Kong-Rey was 1,030km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), the nation’s southernmost point, and was moving west at 7kph. The tropical storm was packing maximum sustained winds of 101kph, with gusts of up to 126 kph, CWA data showed. After landing in Taitung, the eye of the storm is forecast to move into the Taiwan Strait through central Taiwan on Friday morning, the agency said. With the storm moving
NO WORK, CLASS: President William Lai urged people in the eastern, southern and northern parts of the country to be on alert, with Typhoon Kong-rey approaching Typhoon Kong-rey is expected to make landfall on Taiwan’s east coast today, with work and classes canceled nationwide. Packing gusts of nearly 300kph, the storm yesterday intensified into a typhoon and was expected to gain even more strength before hitting Taitung County, the US Navy’s Joint Typhoon Warning Center said. The storm is forecast to cross Taiwan’s south, enter the Taiwan Strait and head toward China, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The CWA labeled the storm a “strong typhoon,” the most powerful on its scale. Up to 1.2m of rainfall was expected in mountainous areas of eastern Taiwan and destructive winds are likely
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday at 5:30pm issued a sea warning for Typhoon Kong-rey as the storm drew closer to the east coast. As of 8pm yesterday, the storm was 670km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻) and traveling northwest at 12kph to 16kph. It was packing maximum sustained winds of 162kph and gusts of up to 198kph, the CWA said. A land warning might be issued this morning for the storm, which is expected to have the strongest impact on Taiwan from tonight to early Friday morning, the agency said. Orchid Island (Lanyu, 蘭嶼) and Green Island (綠島) canceled classes and work