MELBOURNE, Australia — Australia and Fiji have officially signed a new bilateral defense agreement, marking the second major diplomatic achievement in less than a year for Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in his effort to limit Chinese influence across the South Pacific.
Albanese and Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka put pen to paper on the Ocean of Peace Alliance in Fiji’s capital city of Suva. The two leaders also signed a separate economic agreement called the Vuvale Union, through which Australia has committed to investing more than 1 billion Australian dollars — roughly $693 million U.S. — in Fiji over the next ten years.
The Ocean of Peace Alliance is the first mutual defense treaty Fiji has ever entered into. For Australia, it is the fourth such agreement, coming after a 1951 treaty with the United States and New Zealand, and a bilateral defense pact signed with Papua New Guinea just last year.
Albanese described the weight of the new commitment, telling reporters: “The Ocean of Peace Alliance introduces a mutual defense obligation and there’s no higher obligation than to come to each other’s aid at a time of need.”
Rabuka expressed confidence that China would not react harshly to the newly signed agreements. “I do not expect China to have any severe pushback on either government. And I believe that they will welcome the understanding that is between Australia and Fiji,” he said. He added, “It does not threaten Fiji’s relationship with China nor Australia’s relationship with China.”
The Fijian prime minister described the agreements as being built on three core principles: deeper cooperation on security matters, stronger economic ties, and closer connections between the people of both nations.
“This is a clear affirmation of Australia’s sustained commitment to the stability, resilience and prosperity of the Blue Pacific region at a time of global uncertainty,” Rabuka said. He further noted, “These treaties reflect our shared understanding of the evolving and interconnected challenges that are facing our region.”
Australia has been working since 2022 to reinforce its position as the preferred security partner in the Pacific, following China’s signing of a secretive security agreement with the Solomon Islands that year. That deal sparked concerns about the potential construction of a Chinese naval base in the South Pacific.
Albanese is scheduled to travel to the Solomon Islands on Tuesday to meet with Prime Minister Matthew Wale after both nations agreed to pursue further talks on a security arrangement. Wale indicated during a visit to Australia last month that his new government plans to review the existing deal with Beijing.
On Wednesday, Albanese is set to host Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape and Tongan Prime Minister Fatafehi Fakafānua in the Australian city of Brisbane. That same day, Australia’s defense treaty with Papua New Guinea — its closest neighbor — officially takes effect.
Just last week, Australia and Vanuatu signed a long-anticipated bilateral security and economic agreement known as the Nakamal Agreement. The deal, signed between Albanese and Vanuatu Prime Minister Jotham Napat in the Australian capital, explicitly blocks China from establishing a military base on the island nation. The agreement was finalized nine months after Vanuatu rejected an earlier version, citing concerns that it could restrict the country’s ability to draw in infrastructure investment. China voiced concern last week that the Nakamal Agreement may be aimed at Beijing.
