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With China rivalling, Australia seals $325 mn security & economic deal with Vanuatu in the Pacific
This handout photo released on August 13, 2025 by Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) shows Australia's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles (L) presenting a shoe to Vanuatu's Prime Minister Jotham Napat (C), as Vanuatu's Deputy Prime Minister of Vanuatu Johnny Koanopa (R) reacts on the Island of Tanna in the South Pacific nation of Vanuatu. AFP PHOTO
Australia and Vanuatu have agreed on a A$500 million ($326.5 million) package to deepen economic and security cooperation, as both nations contend with growing Chinese influence in the Pacific.
Vanuatu Prime Minister Jotham Napat said the pact, called the Nakamal Agreement, would see Australia invest over the next decade in areas ranging from security to trade, with a strong emphasis on labour mobility. 'The agreement… will transpire into a lot of trade benefits between the two countries, whether it be the security agreement, economic transformation, with some specific focus on labour mobility,' Napat said at a press conference on the island of Tanna.
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Australia's Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles described the deal as recognition of a 'shared destiny' between the two countries. 'It acknowledges that as neighbours, we have a shared security environment and a commitment to each other,' he said.
The agreement, to be formally signed in the coming weeks by Napat and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, also includes funding for climate resilience in the wake of a December earthquake in Port Vila that killed at least 14 people and injured hundreds.
In recent years, Vanuatu has drawn closer to China, its largest external creditor, following a decade of infrastructure loans, including funding for a new presidential office completed last year.
With inputs from agencies
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