Australia and Fiji have signed a major new defence alliance, further advancing the federal government's strategy to limit China's influence across the Pacific region. In a surprise move, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his Fijian counterpart, Sitiveni Rabuka, elevated Australia's ties with Fiji to a formal treaty alliance.
The Ocean of Peace Alliance, signed in Suva on Monday, is open to other Pacific countries to join in the future, paving the way for participation by New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Tonga. The language of the agreement states that Australia and Fiji will 'act to meet the common danger' in the event either country is attacked, and recognises that an armed attack on either 'would be dangerous to each other's peace and security as well as the security of the Pacific'.
Since coming to power in 2022, Labor has worked to push back on China's influence building across the Pacific, including through a growing list of treaty agreements. Recent deals include the Nakamal agreement with Vanuatu and the Falepili Union treaty with Tuvalu. China signed a secretive security deal with Solomon Islands in 2022, prompting fears from Canberra and other regional capitals that Beijing could achieve a permanent military presence in a Pacific country.
Alongside the defence alliance, the leaders signed the Vuvale Union agreement, which could expand visa access for Fijians seeking to come to Australia. The Vuvale Union text explicitly acknowledges climate change as 'the single greatest threat to the livelihoods, security and wellbeing of Pacific peoples', and both countries agreed to 'mutually advocate for ambitious and meaningful action on climate change'.
Speaking alongside Albanese, Rabuka said he did not expect any severe diplomatic pushback from Beijing as a result of the new agreements. 'I believe that they will welcome the understanding that it is within Australia and Fiji,' he said. After the signing, Albanese was made a Companion of the Order of Fiji, one of the country's highest honours. He is expected to visit Solomon Islands and host a group of Pacific leaders in Brisbane later this week.
