Pacific bloc considers ‘strong’ statement on China missile, says Australia

China fired the missile the same day Australia’s Anthony Albanese (left) and Fiji’s Sitiveni Rabuka (right) signed a major defence alliance.  (EPA Images pic)

SYDNEY: Pacific Island leaders are considering a “very strong” joint statement condemning China’s recent missile test, Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Wednesday.

The Pacific Islands Forum regional bloc was circulating a draft of the statement among its 18 members for endorsement, Albanese told reporters in Brisbane, ahead of meetings with the leaders of Papua New Guinea, Tonga and Samoa.

A Chinese submarine test-fired a “strategic” missile carrying a dummy warhead into the Pacific Ocean on Monday, drawing condemnation from nations including Australia, New Zealand, Japan and the United States.

Monitors said the rocket appeared to land in a patch of ocean somewhere between Solomon Islands, Nauru and Tuvalu.

Many South Pacific countries, with aid-dependent economies and indebted to Chinese banks for infrastructure loans, are reluctant to publicly criticise Beijing, although the Solomon Islands on Tuesday said it had protested over the missile firing.

“We are hoping as well that the nations of the Pacific join together to send a strong message,” Albanese said, after returning from a visit to the Solomons.

“It’s a very strong statement,” he added.

Albanese is holding security talks with Tonga Prime Minister Lord Fakafanua, Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape and Samoa’s Prime Minister La’aulialemalietoa Leuatea Schmidt in Brisbane, before hosting the three leaders at a showpiece rugby league match.

Australia is pouring millions of dollars into boosting rugby league and rugby union programmes in Pacific countries, seeing it as a “soft power” edge in its competition with China for influence.

“We want to be responsible for our security — Pacific leaders coming together to provide security for our own region,” Albanese told reporters.

China’s missile was fired on the same day Australia and Fiji signed a major defence alliance, the latest in a string of security treaties Canberra has struck with South Pacific countries as it seeks to block China establishing a permanent security presence in the region.

Fiji’s Defence Minister Pio Tikoduadua said in an interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) that he had warned China’s embassy against firing a missile.

“Missile testing doesn’t augur much for respect and trust,” he told the ABC.

He added it was a “strange coincidence” China’s missile tracking ship, Yuan Wang 5, was in port in Fiji when the missile was fired.