Pacific nations Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea (PNG) are delaying the finalisation of their security pacts with Australia due to fears the deal would encroach on their sovereignty, the Pacific nations have said. During a visit by Defence Minister Richard Marles on June 6, Vanuatu’s Prime Minister Ishmael Kalsakau said the bilateral security agreement signed…

Vanuatu’s prime minister said on Wednesday that a security pact signed with Australia last year had not been ratified by parliament due to concerns that it did not reflect the sovereignty of the Pacific nation. Speaking to reporters in Port Vila, Prime Minister Ishmael Kalsakau said the pact “does not compel Vanuatu to anything” and…

More than 250,000 people in Vanuatu have been affected, and thousands of homes have been destroyed, after back-to-back tropical cyclones struck the Pacific Islands nation earlier this month. Vanuatu was hit by two tropical cyclones—Cyclone Judy and Kevin—on March 1 and March 3, which brought torrential rains and strong winds. The two cyclones also triggered…

More than 400 people in Vanuatu remain in evacuation centers as Cyclone Kevin makes landfall in the Pacific Island nation just two days after it was hit by a massive cyclone, which triggered an earthquake. The Fiji Meteorology Service said that tropical cyclone Kevin arrived in Vanuatu on Friday, bringing torrential rain and wind gusts…

An active underwater volcano of the coast of Vanuatu’s Epi Island has erupted after days of seismic activity had been recorded in the area, forcing authorities to divert shipping and aircraft. This comes as the Vanuatu Meterology and Geo-Hazard Department raised the alert status of three of the country’s five active volcanoes to level two or…

Australia and its closest geographical neighbour Papua New Guinea (PNG), have agreed to a historic Bilateral Security Treaty (BST) that entwines both countries to each other and helps better secure the region. In a joint statement on Jan. 12 by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and PNG Prime Minister James Marape, both leaders noted that the BST…

Australia and Vanuatu have indicated closer security ties amid ongoing competition between democratic allies and Beijing in the South Pacific region. The latest move comes after the Australian government inked a security deal with the Pacific nation Fiji in October. Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong spoke in Port Vila, Vanuatu, on Dec. 12 along with…

The Pacific nation of Vanuatu will go to the polls next month after the Parliament was dissolved so that Prime Minister Bob Loughman could avoid a no-confidence vote. Loughman has faced pressure for months after attempting to change the Constitution to extend his government’s term limit, the move also comes amid an ongoing influence push…

Vanuatu’s president has dissolved the Pacific nation’s Parliament hours before a no-confidence motion was brought against Prime Minister Bob Loughman. The latest incident continues a tumultuous few weeks for democratic institutions in the South Pacific—already susceptible to influence from Beijing. On Aug. 18, Vanuatu President Nikenike Vurobaravu signed the notice to dissolve Parliament—the next elections…

The government of Pacific nation Vanuatu has thrown its support behind the One China policy following U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan. The overt declaration comes amid ongoing concerns of Beijing’s strong influence in the South Pacific and the threat of conflict around the Taiwan Strait. On Aug. 5, Silas Bule, the acting…