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Agence France-Presse

Australia and Pacific nation Nauru announced a landmark security treaty on Monday, advancing Canberra’s aim of blunting China’s growing regional influence.
Nauru surprised many Pacific watchers this year when it abruptly severed diplomatic links with Taiwan in favour of Beijing.
It joined a growing list of Pacific nations moving closer to China’s orbit, a development that has rattled Australia and its ally the United States.
A new treaty hammered out between Australia and Nauru could stymie China’s efforts to further consolidate its toehold in the Pacific microstate.
Under the deal, Nauru will seek Australia’s agreement before it signs any bilateral accords on maritime security, defence and policing.
In return, Nauru will receive US$64 million in direct budget support and a further $25 million to bolster its stretched police force.
This treaty will make our region stronger and it will make our region safer
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese
“This treaty will make our region stronger and it will make our region safer,” Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said. “It’s a good day for the security and resilience of the Pacific region.”
Nauru President David Adeang said it would give the developing nation a “vital” economic boost while enhancing “mutual security”.
Security and policing are cornerstones of Beijing’s efforts to win Pacific friends, plying nations such as Solomon Islands and Kiribati with training and gleaming new vehicles.
Nauru will also consult Australia if other parties look to strike agreements granting them access to critical infrastructure such as ports and airfields or its banking sector.

Australia has committed to keeping a retail bank open on Nauru.
Western banks have been closing branches throughout the South Pacific for years, citing political turmoil, wafer-thin profits and the high cost of doing business.
State-owned Bank of China has indicated it is eager to fill the gap in Nauru and elsewhere.
Australia ratified a similar treaty with low-lying Pacific nation Tuvalu this year.
Under that accord, Tuvalu residents will be offered the right to live in Australia if their homeland is swamped by rising seas.
Nauru, population 12,500, is one of the world’s smallest countries with a mainland measuring just 20 sq km (7.7 square miles).
It is considered especially vulnerable to climate change and has high rates of unemployment and health issues, a recent World Bank assessment said.
Nauru was once one of the world’s richest countries per capita, exporting the phosphate mined from the accumulated droppings of circling seabirds.
But that boon has long dried up, leaving much of the mainland a barren moonscape unsuitable for either housing or for growing food.
For years Nauru replaced some of this lost income by running an immigration detention centre for asylum seekers refused entry to Australia.
Solomon Islands, Kiribati and Nauru have all switched diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to China since 2019.


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Pacific nations

Australia signs security treaty with China-friendly Nauru

Nauru President David Adeang (left) shakes hands with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at Parliament House in Canberra on Monday. Photo: AAP/dpa

A beach on the island of Nauru. The Pacific microstate is one of the world’s smallest countries. Photo: AFP

As Chinese banks circle the Pacific, Australia pushes ANZ to stay in island nations

A Bank of China branch in China. The state-owned institution has been exploring options in Nauru and Papua New Guinea. Photo: Shutterstock

An ANZ Bank building in Sydney’s Central Business District. It is not yet clear if the Australian government would subsidise the bank’s Pacific operations. Photo: Reuters

Australian Treasurer Jim Chalmers (right) shakes hands with US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen before a meeting at IMF headquarters in Washington last month. Photo: AFP

As China’s sway over Pacific islands grows, will Japan counter by coming to Palau’s aid?

Chinese research ships have repeatedly been sighted operating in marine zones claimed by Palau. Photo: Shutterstock

Former Taiwanese leader Tsai Ing-wen welcomes Palau’s then-President Surangel Whipps at a ceremony in Taipei in October 2022. Photo: Reuters

Japan to shore up security support for Pacific Islands in ‘significant’ policy shift as China looms

Police work at the site of a damaged building in Port Moresby on January 12 following deadly riots in Papua New Guinea’s capital. Photo: AFP

Japan’s Defence Minister Minoru Kihara will hold talks with peers from Pacific Island nations next week over security support. Photo: Kyodo

Japan’s Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa has vowed to provide “offer-based” financial development to nations rather than wait for them to ask for it. Photo: Pool via Reuters

People run with merchandise as crowds leave shops with looted goods amid a state of unrest in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, on January 10. Photo: AFP

Explained: how Taiwan’s Pacific allies are being wooed by mainland China

Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen. Photo: Reuters

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epa07749809 Members of an honor guard prepare flags prior to a welcome ceremony for Colombian President Ivan Duque Marquez at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, 31 July 2019. Colombian President Ivan Duque Marquez is on a state visit to China from 28 July to 31 July 2019. EPA-EFE/ROMAN PILIPEY

epa07749912 (FILE) - Tourists take photo of the Taipei 101 skyscraper in Taipei, Taiwan, 07 June 2018 (issued on 31 July 2019). On 31 July 2019, China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism announced that it will suspend issuing permits to individual Chinese tourists visiting Taiwan starting 01 August. 'due to cross-Strait ties.' Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council protested China's 'unilateral scrapping tourism agreement.' Transport Minsiter Lin Chia-lung accused China of trying to intimidate Taiwan's tourim industry and affect the outcome of Taiwan's 2020 presidential election. China accuses President Tsai Ing-wen of promoting Taiwan independence and is more angry recently as Tsai is supporting Hong Kong people's protest against the Beijing-backed repatriation bill amendment. EPA-EFE/DAVID CHANG

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Asia

Australasia

The treaty limits Nauru’s deal-making abilities. Last year, Beijing persuaded the Pacific microstate to sever diplomatic links with Taiwan


The treaty limits Nauru’s deal-making abilities. Last year, Beijing persuaded the Pacific microstate to sever diplomatic links with Taiwan.


Australia

Nauru