Australia, Vanuatu sign security pact barring foreign military bases

Australia has secured a significant security pact with Vanuatu, explicitly prohibiting any foreign military base on the Pacific island. The agreement, signed Monday in Canberra, aims to solidify Australia's influence in a region where China is increasingly active.

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What this does do is to provide certainty for Australia that there will be no foreign military base.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stated the deal provides "certainty" for Australia, ensuring no foreign military power establishes a base in Vanuatu. The agreement also commits Australia to increased economic support for the island nation, which is Vanuatu's largest external creditor. This move is seen as a strategic counter to China's expanding security presence in the South Pacific.

Vanuatu's Prime Minister Jotham Napat emphasized the "balanced agreement" protects both nations' security and sovereignty. He confirmed Vanuatu's commitment to rejecting the militarization of its infrastructure, citing a parliamentary act. The Nakamal Agreement, as it's known, states Vanuatu "shall not permit its territory to be used for any foreign military base or infrastructure.”

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We have concluded a balanced agreement that will protect our collective and individual security and our sovereignty.

The treaty also designates Australia as Vanuatu's "longstanding primary policing partner," prioritizing policing requests to other Pacific Islands Forum members. This comes as China has been building policing ties with Vanuatu, donating equipment and maintaining a presence. The agreement details elevated assistance in areas like police training, maritime security, intelligence cooperation, and infrastructure development.

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As a country, we have in fact passed an act in parliament not to allow any militarization to actually be used for our critical infrastructure.

This pact is the latest in a series of agreements Australia has forged with Pacific island nations to counter China's influence. While Vanuatu is separately negotiating an economic deal with China, analysts suggest the strategic contest for influence in the region will persist, given Vanuatu's tradition of non-alignment.

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to reinforce Pacific collective security and sovereignty Vanuatu shall not permit its territory to be used for any foreign military base or infrastructure.