Foreign Minister Penny Wong has travelled to the Pacific region twice in two weeks as the new federal government pushes its Pacific engagement strategy which it hopes can bolster Australia’s presence in the region to counter Beijing.
Wong, sworn in as new foreign minister on May 22, said during bilateral talks with Samoa and Tonga on June 2 and 3 that the new Albanese government was seeking to demonstrate Australia’s commitment to the region while promoting a new migration scheme.
“We want to put more energy and more resources into the Pacific,” Wong said in Samoa. “We have made a commitment to engage more closely and to listen respectfully. We understand we need to work together, as part of the Pacific family, in ways we are called on to do so, now more than ever. We want to make a uniquely Australian contribution to the Pacific family.”…