Australia has partnered with Pacific leaders to unveil a significant policing initiative aimed at enhancing coordination on domestic security across the region, said to be potentially undermining China’s increasing influence in this strategically contested area, Bloomberg reports.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced on Wednesday that Australia plans to invest about A$400 million (some $272 million) over the next five years to establish the Pacific Policing Initiative, designed to strengthen regional security by empowering Pacific nations to manage their own safety.
“The security of the entire region will be much stronger and will be looked after by ourselves,” Albanese said at the Pacific Islands Forum in Tonga, where he was joined by leaders from Fiji, Palau, and Papua New Guinea.
In his comments, Albanese stressed the importance of capability, cooperation, and interoperability among Pacific police forces, asserting that “sovereign nation states will determine how they participate in this.”
The initiative includes funding for four regional police training centers throughout the Pacific and the establishment of a “development and coordination hub” based in Brisbane. Additionally, Pacific nations will collaborate to create a multicountry pool of trained police officers available for deployment during domestic crises or major events.
Tonga’s Prime Minister Hu’akavameiliku remarked on the increasing security challenges facing both his country and the region, which often transcend national borders. He noted that the initiative’s core principle allows forum members to choose how they will contribute to and benefit from its objectives, respecting national sovereignty and priorities.
The announcement is reported to present a potential setback for China’s ambitions to expand its presence in the Pacific. In recent years, Beijing has pursued security partnerships with various nations within the region, having previously secured agreements with countries such as Kiribati, Fiji, and the Solomon Islands.
