The Australian government has committed to spending $300 million (US$232 million) on infrastructure projects in the Pacific region as a way to combat Beijing’s predatory lending in the region. In a report by The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, it was revealed that the move is part of Australia’s Pacific step-up efforts and includes a raft of loans and grants for upgrading telecommunications, transport, health facilities, and power projects. Federal Minister for International Development and the Pacific Zed Seselja told the Herald that Australia is looking into a substantial pipeline of investment in the Pacific region. “Australia is investing in high-quality infrastructure projects with our Pacific island neighbours, using a combination of loans and grant funding,” he said. The funding is set to come from the Australian Infrastructure Financing Facility for the Pacific (AIFFP). Created in 2018, the AIFFP has a offered $2 billion (US$1.55 billion) worth of loans and grants …