Even if you’re a follower of Pacific Islands politics and policy, it can be hard keeping up. With so many nations to watch and the “permanent contest” spurring on external partners to deliver all but the kitchen sink, there’s barely a day’s break from something big happening in this region.
It all speaks to how much these island states are now in the global spotlight, taking them from too little attention to (some might say) too much. Disasters, riots and bankers bailing, here’s a top-line view of what happened over the past 12 months, which includes some pretty extraordinary diplomacy, too.
January
- Nauru President David Adeang switches diplomatic recognition from Taiwan back to China.
- Papua New Guinea enters a two-week state of emergency after rioting and looting results in dozens dead and losses of at least 600 million kina.
- Kiribati announces plans to rejoin the Pacific Islands Forum, signalling a move towards regional unity after an awkward split over leadership of the regional grouping.
February
- PNG’s Prime Minister James Marape addresses Australia’s parliament – a first by a Pacific Islands leader.
- Authorities discover that Chinese state-backed hackers infiltrated the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat.
- Tuvalu’s parliament elects a new PM, Feleti Tao, indicating diplomatic ties with Taiwan will continue.
March
- Chinese officers embedded into Fiji police headquarters are “repatriated” home, although the Fiji-China policing MoU is maintained.
- Fiji’s former prime minister Voreqe “Frank” Bainimarama is found guilty of one count of attempt to pervert the course of justice, but walks free with a non-custodial sentence.
April
- China’s Ministry of Public Security offers assistance to Tonga at the PIF leaders’ summit.
- Australian PM Anthony Albanese and PNG counterpart Marape symbolically walk Kokoda Track on ANZAC Day, while Australian officials scramble to prevent the announcement of a China-PNG policing deal.
- Solomon Islands election returns former Malaita premier and China critic Daniel Suidani and former PM Manasseh Sogavare to their seats.
May
- Sogavare withdraws as a candidate to return as PM, giving room for Jeremiah Manele to replace him (and win). The switch sees a “lowering of temperature” in the Australia-China-Solomon Islands nexus.
- An Australian judge is handed a deportation notice by Kiribati’s government.
- Fiji’s Bainimarama jailed for one year, and the former police commissioner two years, on corruption charges.
- Unrest in New Caledonia triggers a state of emergency after a proposed constitutional amendment that Indigenous Kanak people fear will permanently disenfranchise them.
- A major landslide in PNG’s Enga province kills at least 160 people.
June
- Australia’s Pacific Engagement Visa ballot opens, allowing family members from participating Pacific Island nations to enter a lottery to gain permanent residency in Australia.
- PIF Secretary General and former Nauru president Baron Waqa begins his term, despite concerns about his ability to maintain transparency and accountability, including being available to media.
- PNG opposition MPs fail in a bid to oust Marape in a vote no confidence.
- A Guardian Class Patrol Boat gifted to Fiji from Australia runs aground, three weeks after it was commissioned.
- Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong declares (several times) Australia is “in a permanent state of contest” in the Pacific.
- Manele holds talks in Canberra about doubling the size of Solomon Islands’ police force.
- The annual Australia-Papua New Guinea Ministerial Forum is held, six months on from signing the long sought-after Australia-PNG Bilateral Security Agreement, seeing support for PNG’s legal and justice system and a swathe of non-traditional security issues including cyber, biosecurity, and gender-based violence.*
July
- Manele goes to the China-Pacific Island Countries Police Training Centre in Fuzhou, China.
It all speaks to how much these island states are now in the global spotlight, taking them from too little attention to (some might say) too much.
- Australia and the US Treasury host a Pacific Banking Forum in response to an alarming decline of international banking services across the region. The World Bank signals interest in providing an emergency facility for international services.
August
- The Australia-Tuvalu Falepili Union enters into force.
- Tonga hosts PIF. No Chinese police are present. The Australian-led $400 million Pacific Policing Initiative is endorsed, the announcement overshadowed by a hot mic incident where US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell tells Albanese the United States had given Australia “the lane”, to which the PM replied it could “go halfsies in the cost”. Later, despite talk throughout the summit of Taiwan being stripped of its status as a PIF development partner, the final communiqué is published acknowledging Taiwan’s status. Just hours later, China’s Ambassador to the Pacific Qian Bo demands corrections. A new communiqué is re-issued, without reference to Taiwan.
- Kiribati’s general election sees a record five women elected to the 45-seat parliament.
September
- Marape survives a months-long campaign to oust him through votes of no confidence.
- Former NZ governor-general Sir Jerry Matepare is appointed moderator to help progress the PNG-Autonomous Region of Bougainville issue of independence.
- Pope Francis visits PNG.
October
- Kiribati President Taneti Maamau, with close ties to China, is re-elected for a third term.
- Samoa hosts the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), the first time ever for a Pacific nation. Another first – the Pacific Policing Initiative deploys 40 officers from 11 Pacific countries to provide security throughout the week. King Charles warns of existential climate risks.
- Local reports emerge that Tonga’s PM Siaosi Sovaleni allegedly invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to the PIF meeting, with his foreign affairs department “scrambling” to cancel the invitation once they found out.
November
- Australia’s Treasurer Jim Chalmers announces the government is close to striking a deal with the ANZ Banking Group to maintain a presence in nine Pacific countries as other banking services pull out of the region.
- Vanuatu dissolves parliament after the opposition lodged motions of votes of no confidence.
- Palau’s President Surangel Whipps Jr is re-elected for a second term, signalling a continuation of close ties to the United States.
December
- The Australia-Nauru Treaty brings a $140 million, five-year investment into Nauru’s budget, policing and security in return for security guarantees. The Treaty will tie Nauru to Australia via security, telecommunications and banks.
- Tongan PM Sovaleni quits parliament to avoid facing a vote of no confidence, without a clear successor in place.
- China delivers a substantial support package to Vanuatu, including four patrol boats, 20 motorcycles, and 20 cars.
- After months of media attention, the PNG NRL deal is finally finalised, with Australia allocating $600 million over ten years to bring PNG into Australia’s National Rugby League competition, alongside more rugby league to other Pacific nations and building up junior pathways.
- Solomons’ Manele survives a motion of no confidence push.
- Vanuatu reels from a crippling earthquake.
* This point has been corrected to note the meeting was the ministerial forum, not signing the bilateral security agreement as originally stated.
