Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi poses for a photo before meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Rome, Italy, on 31 October 2021. Tiziana Fabi / Pool via REUTERS / File Photo
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SYDNEY, May 28 (Reuters) – China’s foreign minister signed an agreement with Samoa on Saturday to strengthen diplomatic relations, while Australia’s new leader says he has a “comprehensive plan” for the Pacific , as Beijing and Canberra continue their rival campaigns to attract the region. .
China is building on a security pact it has recently signed with the Solomon Islands, which has alarmed the United States and its allies like Australia because they fear an intensified military presence in Beijing. Australia’s new center-left government has made the Pacific Islands an early diplomatic priority. Read more
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who was sworn in on Monday, said Saturday that his Labor government’s plan includes a training school for defense, maritime security support, a boost in aid and re-engaging the region in change. climate.
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“We will be proactive in the region, we want to get involved,” he told reporters.
Chinese Wang Yi, on a tour of the Pacific to seek a security and trade agreement between 10 countries, ended a visit to Samoa, where he met with Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mataafa and signed documents that include a economic and technical cooperation, “Samoa said. in a statement.
“Samoa and the People’s Republic of China will continue to pursue greater cooperation to meet joint interests and commitments,” he said.
Also on Saturday, Fiji’s Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama said he had a “wonderful meeting” with Australian Penny Wong, whom he had visited days after taking office to show the new government’s attention to the islands. Pacific.
“Fiji is not anyone’s backyard, we are part of a Pacific family,” Bainimarama wrote on Twitter, posting a photo of himself and Penny Wong shaking hands.
Bainimarama appeared to be blaming Scott Morrison, the Conservative prime minister who was ousted in an election last weekend, who once referred to the Pacific as Australia’s “backyard”.
Climate change, which Pacific island nations see as an existential threat, had been a key issue in the election.
Australia’s Wong has said Canberra will be an unattached partner, while China’s Wang has expressed hope that Beijing’s ties with the Solomon Islands can be a regional model. Read more
Wang was on his way to Fiji, where he is expected to push for the regional agreement at a meeting on Monday. Read more
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Report by Samuel McKeith in Sydney; Edited by William Mallard
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