Australia Pacific policy

The foreign ministers of Australia and China were both making their final stops Friday on what has become an island-hopping diplomatic duel in the South Pacific.

Australia’s new government and the United States are both moving urgently to boost ties with Pacific Island countries as the scope of China’s ambition becomes clear.

"We're very aware of what the Chinese government's ambitions are in the Pacific,” Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said.

Cooperation, competition, and contestation are at the heart of Australia’s engagement in the Indo-Pacific.

Old anxieties about Australia’s vulnerabilities remain relatively unchanged, but the new geopolitical order is fundamentally different. 

The deal is designed to head off the network's rumored purchase by a state-owned Chinese firm.

The donation serves immediate needs, but also dovetails with Australia broader program of engagement with the Pacific.

COVID-19 has highlighted the reactive nature of Australia's approach to digital infrastructure development in the region.

Australia can't, and shouldn't, compete directly with China on the funding of hard infrastructure.

Despite the reality of the threat posed by climate change, Australia is a significant part of the failure to adequately address it. That has growing diplomatic costs.

Canberra's funding commitments are beginning to catch up to its concerns about China's growing influence in its neighborhood.