Australia Steps Up to Counter China... Announces Launch of 'Multinational Police' with Pacific Island Nations

Opening Center to Train Workforce... Initial Goal of 200 People
Australia to Support with 272 Million Dollars over 5 Years

Australia has announced the launch of a 'Multinational Pacific Police' in collaboration with Pacific island nations. This move is seen as a check against China, which is expanding its influence in the Pacific region. However, some pro-China countries in the region have expressed concerns that the Australia-led multinational police initiative could be used to exclude China.

On the 28th (local time), according to Bloomberg and other sources, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese attended the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) summit held in Nuku'alofa, the capital of Tonga, where he launched the Pacific Policing Initiative (PPI) together with leaders from Fiji, Palau, Papua New Guinea, and Tonga.

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

The PPI aims to establish up to four police training centers, including one in Brisbane, Australia, to train multinational police forces. The trained officers will be deployed to Pacific island countries to respond to natural disasters and various security issues. The initial goal is to create a police force of about 200 personnel, with Australia pledging approximately $272 million over five years for operational costs.

Prime Minister Albanese stated, "The security, stability, and prosperity of the Pacific are critically important to Australia's future and security," adding, "We will strengthen security cooperation in the Pacific region to enable us to manage our own affairs."

The background to Australia's push for the multinational Pacific police is interpreted as an effort to counter China's growing influence in the Pacific region. Previously, China signed a security agreement with the Solomon Islands in 2022, allowing the deployment of troops in emergencies. It has also negotiated with Kiribati and Fiji to provide police support if necessary. Chinese public security officers are currently active in uniform in these countries.

In response, the United States, Australia, and others are concerned that China could effectively deploy troops to these countries under the guise of providing security support. Australia's creation of the multinational Pacific police aims to reduce these countries' dependence on China due to insufficient security capabilities.

However, some pro-China countries have voiced concerns about the Australia-led PPI. Charlotte Salwai, Prime Minister of Vanuatu, which recently received large-scale investments from China, expressed in a statement at the meeting that "the PPI should not deviate from its original purpose or be developed for geographic or strategic security postures," voicing worries that the PPI is being operated to counter China.

Mihai Sora, head of the Pacific Islands program at the Australian think tank Lowy Institute, noted, "The Solomon Islands and Vanuatu likely received intensive lobbying from China regarding the PPI," suggesting that this appears to be an attempt to raise suspicions among some Pacific countries.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.