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TRANSCRIPT:
Australia, with fellow regional heavyweight New Zealand, has put much stock in the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) in recent years, part of a renewed diplomatic focus on its home region.
Over the past few years, PIF has encountered disruptions in the form of threatened walk-outs and no-shows, jeopardising the fundamental tenet of unity within the blue continent.
Now the Prime Minister has come straight from talks in China to the Cook Islands, touching down in Rarotonga for three days of talks at the Pacific Islands Forum.
He’s joining leaders of a region he has described as family – a sign that leaders are keen to show Pacific splintering is in the past.
“One of the things about the Pacific Island Forum is that we have recognised in last year’s statement the importance of the Pacific family, looking after our security interests of the region. But the Pacific family is also made up of sovereign states, so we respect the fact that sovereign states have a right to make their decisions.”
But the leaders of Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu and Solomon Islands will not attend this week’s annual Pacific Islands Forum, posing a challenge for regional unity amid competition for influence between China and the United States.
The Melanesian nations, which have been courted by China and the U.S. for security and economic ties in the strategic South Pacific, will instead send ministers to the 18-member bloc meeting opening in Rarotonga, Cook Islands, on Monday.
For Mr Albanese, there’s bilateral meetings and a private leaders retreat during his three day Forum visit.
“I look forward to engaging positively and constructively with Prime Minister Brown, but others as well as the Cook Islands is the host of the forum. It will be an opportunity to engage with our nations we have very positive relations with all of the nations in who make up the PIF. And indeed I have hosted many of them, including the leaders of the Solomon Islands, Samoa, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, at Nauru and other nations since I’ve been Prime Minister. We have reengaged very much with the Pacific that is in Australia’s interests.”
Issues like climate change, geopolitical challenges, and nuclear issues are expected to be on the agenda.
Security in the region, including China’s closer diplomatic ties with the Solomon Islands, will also form part of the discussions.
Graeme Smith, from the Department of Pacific Affairs at the Australian National University, says a united Pacific will be crucial, citing threats gainst Taiwan by China.
“People see the most likely conflict in coming years to be over Taiwan and northern Pacific states are literally in the firing line for such a conflict. If China were to take Taiwan, the US military would have to go through the Northern Pacific to get to Taiwan.”
This year, Pacific leaders are demanding more action on climate change, with Vanuatu and Tuvalu opposing new fossil fuel production.
Climate activist Cynthia Houniuhi says rising sea levels and an increase in severe weather events have also made the effects of a changing climate deeply personal.
“I grew up in the Solomon Islands. So you go to some places, people have already had to relocate. It is a climate crisis but also, you have to look at it, it is a human rights crisis as well.”
Australia has already set targets to reduce domestic emissions by 43 per cent on 2005 levels by 2030, and achieve net zero by 2050.
But Joseph Sikulu from the 350 Pacific organisation says Australia will have to prove it’s serious and do much more.
“We always say Australia is a big brother nation in the Pacific, Australia really needs to start acting like that. One of the difficult things about Australia’s presence especially within something like the Pacific Islands Forum, it comes in with a lot of leverage and a lot of power. ((BUTT)) They should do more to push for the betterment of our region, and betterment of our people.”
The P-I-F meeting will go on for the next few days.
It will also welcome what are known as dialogue partners, including 15 nations including the UK, Germany, China, and the US.
