Related Posts

China to Donate Over $400,000 in Police Gear to Vanuatu: Minister

Vanuatu's interior minister has said China will donate hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of police equipment to the Pacific island nation, local media reported Tuesday, as Beijing deepens its influence in the region. Internal Affairs Minister Andrew Solomon Napuat said ...

Vanuatu Pushes Back on China-Excluding Deal with Australia

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had to cancel the signing of a landmark treaty with Vanuatu because it would limit the Pacific island state’s infrastructure cooperation with China. The Nakamal Agreement would see Australia allocate AU$500 million (about US$330.3 million) for ...

Australia Moves to Counter China With Vanuatu Security Pact

Australia on Wednesday hailed a breakthrough in efforts to sign a security agreement with Vanuatu, a deal that could dilute China's influence in the Pacific island nation. A delegation of Australian ministers ironed out the deal during negotiations on the slopes ...

United States Opens Vanuatu Embassy Amid Pacific Rivalry With China

The United States said Friday it has officially opened an embassy in Vanuatu, part of ongoing efforts to parry China's influence in the strategically important South Pacific. Washington has been opening embassies in a string of South Pacific states, a burst ...

China Builds New Presidential Palace in Pacific’s Vanuatu

The government of cash-strapped Vanuatu will soon settle into a suite of new buildings funded by China, a move likely to reignite concerns about Beijing's reach in the South Pacific nation. At an official handover ceremony conducted in front of a ...

Analysis from Cobus van Staden

2026: Africa-China Relations in a World Shaped by North-South Geopolitics

When talking about Africa–China relations, one is always moving along a sliding scale. There are myriad interactions with Chinese entities that concern only individual African countries, segueing into trends affecting the whole continent and sliding further into global dynamics shaping the developing world, of which Africa is the heart.

The Africa-China relationship is its own thing, but Africa’s fate can’t easily be separated from factors affecting the wider Global South, ...

Three Pacific Islands Leaders to Skip Annual Bloc Summit Amid China-U.S. Rivalry

The leaders of Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu and Solomon Islands will not attend this week's annual Pacific Islands Forum, hampering the consensus-based group’s efforts to project unity as China and the United States jockey for influence in the region. The three ...

WEEK IN REVIEW: South Africa Reportedly in Negotiation With Chinese EV Giant BYD to Open Manufacturing Plant in the Country

South Africa is reportedly in negotiation with the Chinese electric vehicle giant BYD to open a manufacturing plant in the country, according to the cabinet. BYD, China’s best-selling car brand, launched its first e-vehicle in SA last year. South Africa has a robust auto-building sector, which includes a ...

Biden and Ardern Are Both Unhappy About the Solomon Islands’ Security Pact With China

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and U.S. President Joe Biden expressed their shared concern for China's ambitions to expand its influence in the South Pacific. Prime Minister Ardern met with the President at ...

Wang Yi Lands in the South Pacific With Big Ambitions to Expand Chinese Influence in the Region

Great Power politics arrived in the South Pacific on Wednesday night when Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and a 20-member entourage landed in the Solomon Islands capital of Honiara. Wang is embarking on a 10-day, seven-nation tour of the region where he is expected to ...

China’s Foreign Minister to Visit Seven Pacific Island States

China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi is embarking on a ten-day tour of Pacific Island states this week. Kicking off with the Solomon Islands, the tour will also take Wang to Kiribati, Samoa, Fiji, Tonga, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, and East Timor. The trip will run from May 26 to ...

Western Governments Expected to Fret Anew When Wang Yi Travels to the Solomon Islands to Sign Security Pact

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is scheduled to embark on a three-nation tour of the South Pacific this week that will include a stop in the Solomon Islands where he will sign a controversial new security agreement. Prime Minister ...