Australia and Papua New Guinea will agree to defend each other in the event of a military attack, part of a landmark defence agreement due to be signed on the sidelines of celebrations to commemorate the country’s independence this week. Anthony Albanese and PNG’s defence minister, Billy Joseph, both downplayed a delay to the deal being formalised, insisting the plan known as a Pukpuk treaty won’t affect sovereignty in the former Australian colony. Designed to push back against China’s expansionist attitude to Pacific countries, the deal is the latest negotiated…
Tag: Australia news
Billion-dollar coffins? New technology could make oceans transparent and Aukus submarines vulnerable
Military history is littered with the corpses of apex predators. The Gatling gun, the battleship, the tank. All once possessed unassailable power – then were undermined, in some cases wiped out, by the march of new technology. “Speed and stealth and firepower,” the head of the Australian Submarine Agency, Jonathan Mead, told the Guardian two years ago of Australia’s forthcoming fleet of nuclear submarines. “The apex predator of the oceans.” But for how much longer? In the first quarter of the 21st century, nuclear submarines have proven a formidable force:…
Albanese went to Vanuatu to sign a $500m agreement – but leaves empty-handed thanks to concerns about China
The federal government is racing to save a major new agreement with Vanuatu, after Anthony Albanese’s plans to sign the deal were rebuffed over concerns about infrastructure funding from China. Speaking alongside Vanuatu’s prime minister, Jotham Napat, on Tuesday, Albanese said he was confident the Nakamal agreement will be “able to be signed soon”, talking up cooperation and proper process with Vanuatu’s governing coalition. The Australian prime minister travelled to Port Vila before this week’s Pacific Islands Forum, hoping to sign the agreement, which would see Australia spend up to…
Pacific Islands Forum: climate crisis tops agenda as China exclusion casts shadow over leaders meeting
Climate change, rising seas and China’s push for influence are set to dominate talks at the Pacific Islands Forum in Solomon Islands this week, in a meeting already marked by geopolitical tensions. The lead up to the forum has already been fraught with tensions after Solomon Islands prime minister Jeremiah Manele excluded external partners – including China, the US and Taiwan – from discussions. A proposal to declare the Pacific an “Ocean of Peace” and the climate crisis are among the key issues likely to be discussed as Pacific leaders…
China’s military follows Australian and Canadian warships in Taiwan Strait accusing them of ‘provocation’
Australian and Canadian warships sailing through the sensitive Taiwan Strait have been followed and warned by China’s military, with Beijing describing the incident as a provocation. The People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theatre Command said the Australian guided-missile destroyer Brisbane and the Canadian frigate Ville de Quebec were engaged in “trouble-making and provocation”. “The actions of the Canadians and Australians send the wrong signals and increase security risks,” it said. A spokesperson said the Canadian armed forces do not comment on sail plans for currently deployed ships. The spokesperson said the…
Daniel Andrews defends decision to attend China military parade alongside Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un
Daniel Andrews has hit back at critics of his decision to attend China’s military parade alongside Russian president Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, saying it was a chance for him to “meet and engage with regional leaders”. The former Victorian premier, known for his interest in bolstering his state’s ties with China while he was in the job, was pictured at the ceremony on Wednesday and was quickly criticised for posing with the so-called “axis of upheaval”. The Iranian president, Masoud Pezeshkian, and Myanmar’s junta leader, Min…
Who else was in Daniel Andrews’ group photo with Xi, Putin and Kim?
A number of world leaders gathered in Beijing at a second world war commemoration parade on Wednesday, in a display designed to show off China’s military strength and geopolitical might. The presence of leaders such as Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping and Kim Jong-un at the event has led to some western political and economic analysts describing it as a meeting of the “axis of upheaval”. After the parade, Russian state agency Sputnik released a group photo, featuring some expected – and unexpected – faces. Here’s who’s who. Who’s who at…
Daniel Andrews’ photo with dictators is a glaring reminder of Australia’s hypocrisy on human rights | Daniela Gavshon
A photo of former Victorian premier Daniel Andrews alongside the Chinese leader, Xi Jinping, the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, and the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, during a military parade in Beijing raised troubling questions. Earlier, former New South Wales premier Bob Carr sought to pre-emptively justify his possible attendance at the event (although he didn’t in the end) in an opinion piece. While it is difficult for the Australian government to control the actions of former officials, the photo still raises the question how the two former premiers found…
Daniel Andrews attends China military parade, poses with Kim Jong-Un and Vladimir Putin
Daniel Andrews has posed alongside North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un and Russian president Vladimir Putin at a military parade in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square. The former Victorian Labor premier stood several rows behind the North Korean semi-recluse (who is facing complaints of alleged crimes against humanity) during the photo opportunity for of leaders from the so-called “the axis of upheaval”. In the photo, distributed by Russian state agency Sputnik, Putin stands to Chinese president Xi Jinping’s right, with Jong-un to Xi’s left, and Xi’s wife Peng Liyuan in between. The group…
Kmart faces legal action in Australia over potential forced labour links – podcast
Earlier this month an Australian-based Uyghur group launched legal action against Kmart in the federal court. The case has put the retailer’s supply chain under scrutiny for potential links to forced labour in China’s Xinjiang province. Nour Haydar speaks with senior reporter Ben Doherty about the legal action against Kmart and the warnings that Australia could become a dumping ground for products linked to forced labour The Guardian