Leaders from several Pacific Islands have endorsed a significant Australian-funded initiative worth A$400 million (approximately $271 million) aimed at enhancing police training and establishing a mobile regional policing unit. This move comes as Australia strives to curb China’s expanding security influence in the region.
The leaders of Tonga, Fiji, Palau, and Papua New Guinea noted that the program would aid island nations in combating drug trafficking, illegal fishing, and economic crimes across a vast ocean region covering millions of square kilometers. Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister James Marape emphasized that the entire Pacific is currently the largest unpoliced area on Earth.
With the support of Australia, Papua New Guinea will host the first of four police training centers that will be established under the Pacific Policing Initiative. This initiative is designed to form a multinational policing force capable of responding to major incidents or crises in the region.
A coordination hub will be located in Brisbane, as confirmed by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, following the approval of the plan during the Pacific Islands Forum in Tonga.
Historically, Australia and New Zealand have provided policing support during crises in the Pacific. However, this new model aims to enhance the capacity of Pacific Islands to assume a more significant role in their security governance. Albanese stated that sovereign nations will decide how to participate, with the initiative being led by Pacific police chiefs and supported by substantial financial backing from Australia.
Palau’s President Surangel Whipps Jr. mentioned that his country experienced three major cybersecurity incidents last year and believes this initiative represents a collective effort to address the security challenges facing the region.
Tonga’s Prime Minister Siaosi Sovaleni indicated that members of the 18-nation Pacific Islands Forum hold the discretion to determine their participation levels, especially after diplomats from Vanuatu and Solomon Islands, who have close ties with China, voiced reservations. However, Solomon Islands voiced support for the initiative during Wednesday’s meeting, according to Albanese.
China has positioned itself as a key infrastructure lender in the region while seeking a larger role in regional policing. Australia has previously stated that it envisions “no role” for China within the Pacific Islands policing framework. This new initiative aims to reduce the necessity for Pacific nations to seek assistance from China, which already has police operating in Solomon Islands and Kiribati.
In response, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian claimed that China’s policing cooperations with Pacific Island nations are normal and in line with international law, asserting that these operations are not aimed at any third party.