[Bai Xiao, special correspondent of the Global Times in Australia] According to Vanuatu's Daily Mail on the 23rd, Vanuatu's Minister of Interior Nappert revealed that China will donate police equipment worth 1 million yuan to the country. This news has attracted the attention of Australian media, and the Australian government is pushing for the signing of an agreement with Vanuatu. Previously, some Australian media claimed that the signing of the agreement was blocked by China. Nappert refuted that the Vanuatu-Australia agreement had nothing to do with Vanuatu-China cooperation, and some media had "exaggerated and distorted it".
The Daily Mail that Mr. Nappert recently attended the fourth China-Pacific Islands Law Enforcement Capacity and Police Cooperation Ministerial Dialogue, held in Hangzhou, China. Mr. Nappert, on behalf of the Vanuatu Government and the Vanuatu Police Force, thanked China for its assistance and donations to Vanuatu over the years.
Nappert also said that bilateral relations have reached an unprecedented level, which shows that China and Vanuatu attach importance to bilateral cooperation and friendship. This is a friendship based on mutual trust and respect for each other's sovereignty.
According to the report, China has constantly proved itself to be an important development partner of Vanuatu in the security field, especially in the police field. According to the report, China has provided a number of supports to Vanuatu in the past few years, including sending police experts to train local police forces and providing police equipment such as patrol boats, vehicles, motorcycles and alcohol testers.
Australian Radio Television (ABC) said the Australian government is pushing for an agreement with the Pacific Island States aimed at consolidating Australia’s strategic position in the Pacific and excluding China from regional security.
Under the agreement, the Australian government is expected to invest approximately $500 million in Vanuatu over the next 10 years to finance Vanuatu’s climate, security and economic priorities, while consolidating Australia’s position as a key security and development partner in the Pacific.
ABC that some believed that the “Nakamar Agreement” failed to be signed and was related to China, but Nappert said that there was no connection between the agreement and the police cooperation being considered to be advanced with China and that overseas media exaggerated and distorted these discussions, giving the wrong impression of our relationship with our partners on security and police issues.”
A spokesman for the Vanuatu government also wrote not long ago that this statement was "absurd" and an "insult" to the collective wisdom of Vanuatu leaders.
Australian media said that Nappert said that as a member of the Non-Aligned Movement, Vanuatu is "friends with everyone and not enemies with anyone". "Vanuatu's interest is not to militarize its forces across the board, but to look at security issues related to climate change, transnational crime, cybercrime, traffic management, and general policing duties and functions," he said.
Nappert said that Vanuatu has signed memorandums of understanding and cooperation agreements with Australia, New Zealand, France, Britain and Papua New Guinea on policing issues. "China is the only country with which we need to formally sign a memorandum of understanding". Nappert also said that although his country wants assistance in security and policing from all international partners, Vanuatu is not a "pawn in the geopolitical game" and that "Vanuatu's national interests must come first". He said: "Vanuatu will continue to exercise its sovereignty on major issues, and I hope our partners will respect this."