Source : Perth Now news
Australia has cemented ties with Fiji, with Anthony Albanese signing two agreements with the Pacific nation in a bid to counter Chinese influence in the region.
WHAT HAS AUSTRALIA SIGNED?
* Australia and Fiji have agreed to a major defence agreement called the Ocean of Peace Alliance
* Mr Albanese signed the agreement with Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka on Monday while visiting Suva
* The alliance means an attack on either Australia or Fiji would involve the other country coming to the other’s aid
* Leaders would also have to consult the other country if there were security issues that threatened the sovereignty of the other
* It’s just the fourth formal defence alliance Australia has signed, following on from agreements with the US, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea
* It is the first alliance Fiji has signed
* Other Pacific countries may also be able to join the alliance if there is unanimous consent
* The two countries also agreed to the Vuvale Union, a separate agreement which had been under negotiation for several months
* The Vuvale Union covers issues on the economy, health, migration and climate change
* Both agreements have been backed with a $1 billion commitment over the next 10 years
* It comes after Australia signed a $500 million deal with Vanuatu called the Nakamal Agreement, as well as a defence pact with PNG called the PukPuk Treaty
