Overview

• Vanuatu declined to sign the proposed A$500 million Nakamal Agreement, citing concerns over language on critical infrastructure.
• Australia says it will keep negotiating with Port Vila, with officials revealing they learned only days ago that Vanuatu was not ready to sign.
• Prime Minister Anthony Albanese directed officials to advance a new bilateral security treaty with Fiji after talks with Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka.
• Canberra reconfirmed a A$100 million contribution to the Pacific Resilience Facility as Pacific leaders move to ratify the climate fund.
• Albanese signalled further steps with Papua New Guinea next week, with reporting noting China’s regional outreach as the strategic backdrop.