Page 17 - IB MAR 2019

Politics

National Intelligence (ONI). A seasonal diplomat and intelligence Vanuatu in April 2018 came as PNG Foreign Minister Rimbink
co-ordinator, Warner has previously served as the first RAMSI Pato was in Beijing, preparing for Chinese President Xi Jinping’s
special coordinator, Australian Ambassador for Counterterror- November visit to Papua New Guinea. The same month, Ralph
ism and head of Australia’s overseas spy agency, the Australian Regenvanu was at a Ministerial Meeting of the Non-Aligned
Security Intelligence Service (ASIS). Movement (NAM) in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Just days after the Prime Ministerial visit, another delegation In 1983, Vanuatu was the first Pacific island country to join the
of senior security and intelligence officials travelled to Port Vila, NAM, followed by Fiji in 2011. At the 2018 Baku summit, the
before moving on to Tonga, Fiji and Solomon Islands. The delega- Vanuatu Foreign Minister stressed that his country is committed
tion was led by the Chief of the Australian Defence Force General “to be non-aligned from major global powers, to free people from
Angus Campbell, accompanied by Australian Federal Police Com- colonial oppression, to ensure international peace and stability, to
missioner Andrew Colvin, Australian Border Force Commissioner champion human rights, and to ensure an inclusive and reformed
Michael Outram and Peter Vickery, Deputy Director-General of the multilateral order.”
domestic intelligence agency, the Australian Security Intelligence Speaking at a public forum at USP Emalus on 8 February,
Organisation (ASIO). Regenvanu reiterated: “In spite of competing interests, Vanuatu
During his visit, Prime Minister Morrison opened the refur- continues to uphold a non-aligned foreign policy which is most
bished Vanuatu Police College. Australia has also made commit- explicitly manifested in our principles and practice of denucleari-
ments to fund new infrastructure for the Vanuatu Mobile Force sation and non-militarisation of the Pacific Ocean.”
and Police Maritime Wing, build a new police station on Malekula
and provide increased training in Australia for Vanuatu police. Trade and climate
General Campbell also committed to taking Australian security While welcoming Australian support for policing, intelligence
engagement with the region to a new level, noting: “Defence plays sharing and maritime surveillance, the Vanuatu government
a key role in this endeavour – we are and will continue to enhance stresses the relationship is part of a broader development part-
our security cooperation with our Pacific neighbours, building on nership. For Prime Minister Salwai, “the Vanuatu Government
our existing and long-standing engagement, including under the continues to place a specific emphasis on increased trade with
Defence Cooperation Program.” Australia, particularly, incremental increases to its export base
As part of the regional Pacific Maritime Security Program and other initiatives….The Vanuatu Government also continues
(PMSP), Vanuatu will receive a new Guardian-class patrol boat to value its participation in labour mobility initiatives such as
to replace an older vessel supplied under the Howard-era Pacific the Seasonal Workers Program and the Pacific Labour Scheme.”
Patrol Boat Program. Successive Vanuatu governments have complained that Aus-
On 7 February, Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne tralia has restricted export opportunities through non-tariff trade
then made a flying visit to Port Vila to meet Vanuatu Foreign barriers such as quarantine and phytosanitary controls. One
Minister Regenvanu, just days before he travelled to Australia long-standing grievance has been the ban on the importation of
on an official visit. commercial quantities of kava to Australia, restricting a potential
export earner for countries like Vanuatu and Fiji.
Competing visions of security During his visit, Morrison made commitments to “progress”
Before leaving for Australia, Regenvanu spoke to Islands Busi- a pilot program to ease some of the limits on kava importation.
ness at his office in Port Vila, welcoming the increased engage- However Foreign Minister Regenvanu told Islands Business there
ment by Canberra. is still a way to go before the trade can expand.
“We’re delighted by the Prime Minister choosing to come to “The kava announcement was very welcome, but we have to
Vanuatu,” he said. “In fact it’s the first bilateral visit ever. I think see how that goes,” Regenvanu said. “One of the main focusses
the value of the visit was the inter-personal connections, much of the Vanuatu government is to get something out of that an-
more than anything substantial.” nouncement. We are working with our Australian counterparts
Regenvanu noted that the flurry of visits has furthered discus- to see how we can get something that’s real and tangible and
sions on the bilateral and regional security agenda, even if the makes a difference, especially for Pacific populations in Australia
two sides are not in complete agreement about the content of a who are the main consumers of kava.”
possible security treaty: “There’s a great deal more clarity now, Throughout his January tour, Morrison stressed his government
especially on the Australian side, about our willingness to work was committed to stronger climate action. No one really believed
with them on what we perceive to be security issues for Vanuatu. him, given the Australian government’s reluctance to commit
These include police and policing, intelligence gathering and to faster reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and refusal to
maritime boundaries and – one of the main ones – responding provide extra funds to the Green Climate Fund (GCF).
to natural disasters. This refusal is in part driven by the belief that Australia should
“Subsequent to the visit, the Vanuatu Cabinet approved the hold the purse strings, rather than operate through multilateral
establishment of a National Security Council for Vanuatu, the funds where developing countries have a say in the allocation of
first time we will have one. That’s going to be established now to resources. In Port Vila, Morrison stressed that “the investments
develop a National Security Strategy and Australia is particularly that we’re making to combat climate change particularly in the
interested in resourcing the development of that strategy.” Pacific, is going to be done directly; not through third parties, not
Reflecting the regional view that climate change is the great- through global climate funds.”
est single threat to security, the new National Security Council With a possible change of government in Canberra by May and
includes the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, along- Vanuatu going to the polls in early 2020, finalisation of a new
side chiefs and civil society representatives as ad hoc members. security treaty has a way to go. But whoever wins office, you can’t
As reported by Islands Business last May, Vanuatu will not have a Pacific policy if you don’t have a China policy. Beijing will
give ground on its long-standing policies of nonalignment, de- continue as a major player in the region and all Forum members
militarisation and nuclear free status. will continue to grapple with this reality.
The leaking of intelligence on a Chinese military base in r nicmac3056@gmail.com

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