https://www.scmp.com/rss/325314/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Reuters Reuters Far-flung Pacific nations ⁠are reeling from the impact of a global ⁠fuel crisis as authorities scramble to manage energy supplies while families must grapple ⁠with fuel curbs and higher costs for food and access to healthcare. Global oil supplies are running down as the US-Israeli war with Iran disrupts traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, which typically carries about 20 per cent of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas flows. Aid agencies have warned that the crisis has driven up prices... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3350937/pacific-islanders-skip-food-medicine-amid-global-fuel-shortage-iran-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3350937/pacific-islanders-skip-food-medicine-amid-global-fuel-shortage-iran-war?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Apr 2026 01:37:07 +0000 Annemarie Evans Annemarie Evans I was born in Plympton, Devon (southwest England), in 1943. My family moved to London because of my father’s work and then to Glasgow, where I was in a preparatory school, Belmont House School, in Newton Mearns. That’s where I learned to play rugby. I went with the school team to Murrayfield (Stadium in Edinburgh) to watch Scotland play. My father was in the packaging business and he was the managing director of the Scotland part of the organisation. My mother was a physiotherapist. We had a... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/passions/article/3349401/former-hong-kong-rugby-team-captain-reflects-first-sevens-tournament-1976?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/passions/article/3349401/former-hong-kong-rugby-team-captain-reflects-first-sevens-tournament-1976?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Apr 2026 00:00:09 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A dangerous super typhoon in the Pacific Ocean is barrelling towards a group of remote US islands. Super Typhoon Sinlakua is expected to make landfall on Tuesday in the Northern Mariana Islands and bring destructive winds, widespread heavy rain and flooding, the National Weather Service said on Monday. Power cuts on the islands could be lengthy, forecasters warned. Guam, a US territory with American military installations and about 170,000 residents, could also see damaging winds and is under a... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3349957/pacific-ocean-super-typhoon-sinlakua-bears-down-group-remote-us-islands?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3349957/pacific-ocean-super-typhoon-sinlakua-bears-down-group-remote-us-islands?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Apr 2026 17:42:11 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Australia has pledged A$2.5 million (US$1.7 million) in aid to Pacific neighbours Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, after tropical cyclone Maila caused devastating floods and landslides that killed 11. Australia stood “shoulder to shoulder” with its neighbours, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said on Sunday, pledging A$1 million for Papua New Guinea and A$1.5 million for the Solomon Islands, where severe impacts have been felt in remote communities across Western and Choiseul... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3349855/australia-pledges-us17-million-aid-after-cyclone-maila-kills-11-pacific?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3349855/australia-pledges-us17-million-aid-after-cyclone-maila-kills-11-pacific?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Apr 2026 05:26:16 +0000 Yogi Putranto Yogi Putranto Control of the seas has long defined power in the Asia-Pacific. From strategic chokepoints to contested fishing grounds, maritime space has shaped the region’s economic lifelines and geopolitical tensions. But a quieter contest is unfolding – less visible, yet potentially more consequential. It is not a contest over territory but over data. As satellite surveillance, digital tracking and advanced analytics transform how the ocean is monitored, a new question emerges: who controls the information... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3348997/asia-pacific-real-maritime-contest-over-satellite-surveillance?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3348997/asia-pacific-real-maritime-contest-over-satellite-surveillance?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Apr 2026 01:30:11 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall After playing in a forested area in the Solomon Islands, Billy’s children often break out in rashes or itchy boils at home. A few years ago, the family became dizzy, suffered headaches and vomited – they believed it was due to the clams from nearby mangrove beds that they had eaten. “It was lucky that we stopped the children from eating them,” said Billy, whose family lives a hand-to-mouth existence in the village of Yandina in the Russell Islands. The 50-year-old farmer suspected that... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3348779/solomon-islands-residents-live-fear-wwii-bomb-explosions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3348779/solomon-islands-residents-live-fear-wwii-bomb-explosions?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Apr 2026 00:00:09 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall Recent reports of Japan exploring the feasibility of using the remote Pacific island of Minamitorishima as a final disposal site for high-level radioactive waste have raised concern at home and abroad. An official request to carry out a survey assessing the island’s suitability for the facility was presented to the mayor of Ogasawara village, which nominally administers the island some 1,900km (1,200 miles) southeast of Tokyo, earlier this month. Similar requests have been made of two towns in... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3348336/where-can-japan-store-its-nuclear-waste-island-plan-raises-alarm?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3348336/where-can-japan-store-its-nuclear-waste-island-plan-raises-alarm?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Mar 2026 02:30:18 +0000 SCMP SCMP This article was first published on March 29, 1976. By Jack Beattie World ‘sevens’ for HK? A seven-a-side rugby union world cup competition – and possibly staged in Hongkong! That’s the exciting prospect that emerged after yesterday’s first International “Sevens” Championships held at the Hongkong Football Club. Last night Rothmans and Cathay Pacific, the joint-sponsors of this unique event, which had 12 countries competing, were playing it a bit coy – but both agreed that a similar promotion... https://www.scmp.com/sport/rugby/hk-sevens/article/3348128/first-hong-kong-sevens-rugby-tourney-held-1976-scmp-archive?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/rugby/hk-sevens/article/3348128/first-hong-kong-sevens-rugby-tourney-held-1976-scmp-archive?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Mar 2026 02:30:07 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The mayor of New Zealand’s capital city took an afternoon dip on Wednesday hoping to assuage public fears after a breakdown at a local waste water treatment plant pumped raw sewage into the ocean and sprayed faecal matter on coastal homes. Millions of litres of raw sewage have flowed into the waters off Wellington’s picturesque south coast beaches since the breakdown of the Moa Point facility on February 4. Sporting swimming trunks and a rash guard shirt, Mayor Andrew Little dived face first... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3344537/wellington-mayor-takes-dip-prove-sea-safe-after-sewage-leak-new-zealand?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3344537/wellington-mayor-takes-dip-prove-sea-safe-after-sewage-leak-new-zealand?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Feb 2026 03:41:27 +0000 Reuters Reuters Heavy rain and strong winds disrupted flights, trains and ferries, forcing the closure of roads across large parts of New Zealand’s North Island on Monday, while snapping power links to tens of thousands. Domestic media reported a few flights had resumed operating by afternoon from the airport in Wellington, the capital, although cancellations were still widespread after authorities said most morning flights were disrupted. Air New Zealand said it hoped to resume services when conditions ease... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3343699/absolutely-terrifying-new-zealand-storm-leaves-30000-homes-without-power?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3343699/absolutely-terrifying-new-zealand-storm-leaves-30000-homes-without-power?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Feb 2026 05:26:05 +0000 Maria Siow Maria Siow At a high-level conference in Washington last month, the US State Department unveiled an “America first” aid strategy that ties development dollars directly to the commercial and security goals of the world’s largest economy. This shift away from decades of framing the United States’ foreign assistance as a moral undertaking is a reflection, analysts say, of the Trump administration’s view that foreign assistance should advance America’s national interest above all else. Officials at the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3339382/us-strips-moral-framing-foreign-aid-america-first-pivot?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3339382/us-strips-moral-framing-foreign-aid-america-first-pivot?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 11 Jan 2026 08:00:19 +0000 Agencies Agencies As Wednesday turned to Thursday, people around the world said goodbye to a sometimes challenging 2025 and expressed hopes for the ‍new year to come. In Croatia, celebrations got off to an early start. Since 2000, the town of Fuzine has held its countdown at noon, a tradition that has since spread across the country. Crowds cheered and toasted each other with champagne and danced ⁠to music – all in the middle of the day. Some brave souls in Santa hats took a plunge into the icy waters of Lake... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3338350/world-begins-bid-goodbye-2025-fireworks-and-icy-plunges?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3338350/world-begins-bid-goodbye-2025-fireworks-and-icy-plunges?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 31 Dec 2025 18:19:08 +0000 Orange Wang Orange Wang The rebuilding of a World War II-era airfield in Micronesia with the help of Chinese companies has raised alarm in the United States, with US defence analysts warning about Beijing’s growing footprint in the strategic western Pacific. Cleo Paskal, a non-resident senior fellow at the Washington-based Foundation for Defence of Democracies, posted a video on social media last week showing an airport runway being rebuilt on Woleai, a remote 4.5 sq km atoll in Micronesia’s Yap state. “Chinese company... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3337115/chinas-rebuilding-micronesian-airport-runway-raises-alarm-us?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3337115/chinas-rebuilding-micronesian-airport-runway-raises-alarm-us?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Dec 2025 15:00:10 +0000 Khushboo Razdan Khushboo Razdan Senior US officials on Monday pushed back against suggestions of American retreat from the Indo-Pacific, declaring that Washington is recalibrating its foreign assistance to more effectively outcompete China in the strategically vital region while maintaining support for allies through targeted aid and security cooperation. The focus, they said, is shifting away from broad assistance towards targeted partnerships that serve US interests and advance a free and open Indo-Pacific, ranging from... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/article/3336552/us-rejects-claims-indo-pacific-retreat-says-aid-being-recalibrated-counter-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/article/3336552/us-rejects-claims-indo-pacific-retreat-says-aid-being-recalibrated-counter-china?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Dec 2025 22:15:49 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Dozens of oil tankers suspected of smuggling contraband crude for Russia and Iran have been using a beachside office in the tropical South Pacific to cover their tracks, an analysis of sanctions data has revealed. Nestled next to a pizza shop in the far-flung Cook Islands is the modest headquarters of one of the fastest-growing shipping registries in the world. Without ever setting foot in the palm-fringed microstate, foreign shipowners can pay Maritime Cook Islands to sail under its... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3334856/cook-islands-pacific-haven-sanctions-dodging-russian-and-iranian-oil-tankers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3334856/cook-islands-pacific-haven-sanctions-dodging-russian-and-iranian-oil-tankers?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Dec 2025 04:50:09 +0000 Laura Zhou Laura Zhou China and the Cook Islands have wrapped up their first joint scientific expedition in the South Pacific, a region emerging as a focal point in the geopolitical race for rare earths. The 4,000-tonne Chinese marine research vessel Da Yang Hao, one of the most advanced in China, docked at the Avatiu port near the capital Avarua on Saturday, about one month after a US research ship conducted a three-week survey in the region. Welcoming the Da Yang Hao to port, Sun Shuxian, the Chinese vice-minister... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3332379/china-and-cook-islands-team-sea-survey-rare-earths-race-expands-oceans?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3332379/china-and-cook-islands-team-sea-survey-rare-earths-race-expands-oceans?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 12 Nov 2025 02:00:13 +0000 Maria Siow Maria Siow In the Solomon Islands, where memories of civil unrest and ethnic violence are still fresh, the government’s plan to create a defence force has raised both hope and concerns. For some, it is a step towards stability; for others, it is a potential flashpoint in a region increasingly pulled between China and the West. Jimson Tanangada, the Pacific nation’s police and national security minister, told parliament earlier this month that the government was exploring the creation of a defence force as... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3330233/solomon-islands-defence-force-dream-australia-china-flashpoint?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3330233/solomon-islands-defence-force-dream-australia-china-flashpoint?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 26 Oct 2025 01:30:15 +0000 Orange Wang Orange Wang Australia should lead the creation of a formal Five Eyes-style intelligence club in the Pacific amid China’s growing presence in the region, a prominent foreign policy think tank has suggested. Dubbed “Pacific Eyes”, the proposed intelligence-sharing alliance could help to plug institutional gaps that “external powers” – particularly Beijing – were eager to exploit, the Sydney-based Lowy Institute said in a report released on Tuesday. It recommended that the dedicated framework initially consist... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3329818/pacific-eyes-intelligence-body-would-offset-chinas-growing-presence-region-report?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3329818/pacific-eyes-intelligence-body-would-offset-chinas-growing-presence-region-report?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Oct 2025 11:30:08 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press New Zealand’s defence minister warned in an interview that small countries in the South Pacific face growing pressure from great power competition for their rare minerals and fisheries wealth, and that more action was needed from regional neighbours to help in preserving island nations’ sovereignty. Judith Collins, who also oversees New Zealand’s intelligence and space portfolios, spoke on Wednesday before departing for Washington, where she will meet Trump administration officials including... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3329139/new-zealand-seeks-us-help-protect-pacific-china-over-rare-minerals-fisheries?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3329139/new-zealand-seeks-us-help-protect-pacific-china-over-rare-minerals-fisheries?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Oct 2025 11:25:59 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall Beneath the turquoise waters of a remote Pacific atoll, a Japanese warship sunk more than 80 years ago has begun leaking fuel oil, threatening ecological disaster. The source of the leak is the Rio de Janeiro Maru, a huge vessel used by the Imperial Japanese Navy as a submarine tender during World War II that was sunk by American bombers more than 80 years ago. Today, as oil streams from its rusting hulk, officials in the Chuuk Islands fear this may be just the first instance of hazardous waste... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3328576/japanese-ghost-fleet-rusting-wwii-wrecks-poisoning-pacific-paradise?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3328576/japanese-ghost-fleet-rusting-wwii-wrecks-poisoning-pacific-paradise?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Oct 2025 00:00:08 +0000 Mark Magnier Mark Magnier China is systematically exploiting US weaknesses and inconsistencies to expand its reach in the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea, but it also faces its own energy, diplomatic and economic vulnerabilities that Washington needs to better exploit, witnesses testified before Congress on Tuesday. The hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy saw unusual bipartisan unanimity in a deeply divided Washington on the need to... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3328169/congress-urged-preserve-stability-indo-pacific-and-curb-chinas-taiwan-game-plan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3328169/congress-urged-preserve-stability-indo-pacific-and-curb-chinas-taiwan-game-plan?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Oct 2025 23:17:26 +0000 Christopher Cottrell Christopher Cottrell A new chapter in Pacific security began this week as Australia and Papua New Guinea (PNG) signed a mutual defence agreement that draws the strategically vital yet volatile Melanesian nation further into Canberra’s sphere of influence – as China watches closely. The “Pukpuk Treaty”, signed in Canberra on Monday by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his Papua New Guinean counterpart James Marape, is Australia’s largest Pacific security pact in seven decades. Named after the Tok Pisin... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3328115/what-australias-pukpuk-pact-png-means-pacific?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3328115/what-australias-pukpuk-pact-png-means-pacific?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Oct 2025 08:27:53 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press New Zealand’s government said on Monday it had agreed to pay 10 million tala (US$3.6 million) in compensation to Samoa’s government, a year after New Zealand sailors drove a navy ship aground on a reef off the Pacific Island nation. All 75 people on board evacuated to safety as the boat foundered about 1.6km (one mile) off the coast of Upolu, Samoa’s second largest island, before it caught fire and sank. The wreck of HMNZS Manawanui remains at the site of the sinking on October 6, last year, and... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3327947/new-zealand-pays-samoa-full-us36-million-compensation-after-navy-ship-sinks-reef?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3327947/new-zealand-pays-samoa-full-us36-million-compensation-after-navy-ship-sinks-reef?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Oct 2025 02:21:53 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Papua New Guinea’s cabinet has approved a bilateral defence treaty with near neighbour Australia, paving the way for the nations’ leaders to sign a landmark agreement that US allies hope will curb Chinese influence in the region. Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape confirmed on Thursday that the treaty had been formally approved by his cabinet. “Australia has only one other mutual defence treaty of this type and at our request Papua New Guinea will now sign this treaty,” Marape said in... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3327653/australia-and-papua-new-guinea-forge-historic-defence-pact-counter-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3327653/australia-and-papua-new-guinea-forge-historic-defence-pact-counter-china?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Oct 2025 09:52:28 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Pacific Island leaders issued a call for an “ocean of peace” on Wednesday, urging respect for their sovereignty at a summit clouded by China’s alleged meddling and great power competition in the strategically vital region. After a day of largely closed-door talks in the Solomon Islands capital of Honiara, the 18 Pacific Islands Forum leaders endorsed a Fiji-backed push for a statement proclaiming the region’s cohesion and its desire for peace and climate action. A heavy police presence guarded... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3325042/pacific-islands-leaders-call-ocean-peace-forum-after-china-claims-make-waves?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3325042/pacific-islands-leaders-call-ocean-peace-forum-after-china-claims-make-waves?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Sep 2025 09:15:21 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Australia has announced an agreement with the tiny Pacific nation of Nauru, enabling it to send hundreds of immigrants to the barren island. The deal affects more than 220 immigrants in Australia, including some convicted of serious crimes. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke signed the memorandum of understanding on a visit to Nauru, the government said in a statement on Friday. “It contains undertakings for the proper treatment and long-term residence of people who have no legal right to stay in... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3323768/australia-plans-send-immigrants-nauru-after-signing-deal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3323768/australia-plans-send-immigrants-nauru-after-signing-deal?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 30 Aug 2025 10:36:58 +0000 Maria Siow Maria Siow For decades, both New Zealand and Australia have been “pretty slack” on military spending, Wellington’s defence minister recently conceded in a striking admission that analysts say was aimed as much at Washington as at a sceptical public at home. Judith Collins told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation on August 14 that she sympathised with the United States’ demands for its allies to share more of the defence burden, adding in an interview in Wellington that American taxpayers had carried... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3322851/new-zealand-seeks-shed-its-pretty-slack-defence-image-will-it-placate-trump?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3322851/new-zealand-seeks-shed-its-pretty-slack-defence-image-will-it-placate-trump?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 24 Aug 2025 02:30:08 +0000 Alyssa Chen Alyssa Chen China has rejected claims that it is a growing espionage threat to New Zealand, calling the suggestions in Wellington’s latest intelligence report “groundless” and “riddled with ideological bias”. In the annual report released on Thursday, New Zealand said it was facing its toughest national security challenges, with increasing threats of foreign interference and espionage. It said Beijing was the “most active” player in this interference, an escalation from last year when it labelled China a... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3322652/textbook-misinformation-china-rejects-new-zealand-security-report-accusations?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3322652/textbook-misinformation-china-rejects-new-zealand-security-report-accusations?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 21 Aug 2025 10:00:35 +0000 Maria Siow Maria Siow With the next Pacific Islands Forum poised to convene in Honiara next month, the Solomon Islands’ decision to exclude all external dialogue partners has reignited debate over the cost of regional compromise and the Pacific’s ability to chart an independent course. Announcing the move earlier this month, Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele confirmed that 21 donor nations would be excluded from the annual summit of the 18-member Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), which the Solomon Islands will host from... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3322385/solomon-islands-freezes-out-taipei-beijing-washington-and-all-other-pif-partners?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3322385/solomon-islands-freezes-out-taipei-beijing-washington-and-all-other-pif-partners?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 20 Aug 2025 00:00:10 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Attempts to finalise a landmark treaty combating plastic pollution descended into disarray on the penultimate day on Wednesday as dozens of countries rejected outright the latest draft text, leaving the talks in limbo. With some 30 hours left to seal a deal among the 184 countries gathered at the United Nations in Geneva, states lined up to slam the proposed text put forward by talks chair Luis Vayas Valdivieso. The larger bloc of more ambitious countries blasted the dearth of legally binding... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3321779/plastic-pollution-talks-disarray-nations-reject-draft-treaty?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3321779/plastic-pollution-talks-disarray-nations-reject-draft-treaty?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 13 Aug 2025 18:59:31 +0000 Orange Wang Orange Wang Claims by the head of the FBI that China is a threat to the Indo-Pacific are groundless, Beijing said as the American security agency opened its first permanent office in New Zealand. “We strongly oppose any attempt to make groundless assertions or vilification against China out of the Cold War mentality,” the Chinese embassy in Wellington said on Thursday. “Such acts are against people’s will and are doomed to fail.” The comments came after the US Federal Bureau of Investigation announced it... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3320391/beijing-denies-it-threat-fbi-opens-new-office-new-zealand-counter-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3320391/beijing-denies-it-threat-fbi-opens-new-office-new-zealand-counter-china?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 01 Aug 2025 06:04:45 +0000 Kalinga Seneviratne Kalinga Seneviratne In a unanimous decision, a 15-member bench of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at The Hague in the Netherlands ruled on July 23 that government failures to protect vulnerable populations and ecosystems from climate change could amount to breaches of international law. The court’s non-binding ruling, which says that countries must comply with climate treaties, has been hailed as a great victory for youth activism from small island nations facing the brunt of the climate crisis. The... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3319809/world-courts-ruling-opens-door-wider-climate-justice?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3319809/world-courts-ruling-opens-door-wider-climate-justice?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 28 Jul 2025 21:30:07 +0000 Alex Lo Alex Lo The cynicism is breathtaking. Or maybe it’s just foolishness. With Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te and his minions at the Democratic Progressive Party, it’s often hard to tell. While Israel is busy committing genocide in Gaza, and Jewish settlers and the military are running rampant across the occupied West Bank, Taipei has pledged to donate to an Israeli settlement for a health project there. At least 964 Palestinians in the West Bank have been killed between the start of the Gaza war in... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3319302/taiwan-donation-vow-israeli-settlement-cynical-and-foolish?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3319302/taiwan-donation-vow-israeli-settlement-cynical-and-foolish?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 23 Jul 2025 13:00:20 +0000 Maria Siow Maria Siow For the first time in its history, Australia’s flagship military exercise has moved beyond its own shores, drawing in Pacific island nations as Canberra and Washington push to “regionalise” strategic deterrence across the Indo-Pacific. Neighbouring Papua New Guinea (PNG) is hosting parts of this year’s Talisman Sabre exercise, which began on July 13 and runs until August 4, with activities involving Australian and US troops. “This is an important demonstration of the deepening integration... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3319230/talisman-sabre-australia-us-push-pacific-deterrence-amid-chinas-security-overtures?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3319230/talisman-sabre-australia-us-push-pacific-deterrence-amid-chinas-security-overtures?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 23 Jul 2025 06:00:27 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse France on Saturday announced a “historic” accord with New Caledonia in which the overseas territory, rocked by deadly separatist violence last year, would remain French but be declared a new state. President Emmanuel Macron had called for talks to break a deadlock between forces loyal to France and those wanting independence, asking New Caledonian elected officials, as well as political, economic and civil society leaders, to gather near Paris to hammer out a constitutional framework for the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3317992/france-new-caledonia-reach-historic-statehood-deal-citizens-remain-french?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3317992/france-new-caledonia-reach-historic-statehood-deal-citizens-remain-french?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 12 Jul 2025 11:23:34 +0000 Reuters Reuters Fiji is opposed to China setting up a military base in the Pacific islands, Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka said on Wednesday, adding that Beijing did not need such a base to project power, as shown by last year’s intercontinental ballistic missile test. Strategically placed between the United States and Asia, the Pacific islands are a focus of rivalry between Washington and Beijing for security ties. The islands were trying to cope with a big, powerful China seeking to spread its influence,... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3316612/fiji-rejects-idea-chinese-military-bases-pacific-islands?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3316612/fiji-rejects-idea-chinese-military-bases-pacific-islands?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 02 Jul 2025 06:37:28 +0000 Reuters Reuters Tuvalu, a tiny Pacific nation that scientists predict will be submerged by rising seas, said it was seeking written assurance from the United States that its citizens would not be barred from entry after being apparently mistakenly included in a list of 36 countries facing visa bans. An internal diplomatic cable signed by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio showed the United States, which has already barred entry for citizens from 12 countries, was considering expanding travel restrictions to the... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3316568/tiny-pacific-nations-fear-us-travel-bans-why?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3316568/tiny-pacific-nations-fear-us-travel-bans-why?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 02 Jul 2025 02:02:08 +0000 Maria Siow Maria Siow What began as a quiet series of infrastructure deals between the Cook Islands and China has erupted into a diplomatic stand-off, with New Zealand halting millions in aid and Pacific leaders accusing Wellington of “patronising” behaviour. New Zealand’s abrupt suspension of aid has cast a harsh spotlight on the country’s growing unease over China’s expanding Pacific footprint, drawing warnings from regional observers that the move risks appearing “coercive rather than constructive”. Wellington... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3316148/cook-islands-aid-row-spotlights-chinas-pacific-outreach-new-zealands-mounting-unease?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3316148/cook-islands-aid-row-spotlights-chinas-pacific-outreach-new-zealands-mounting-unease?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 Jun 2025 00:00:10 +0000 SCMP’s Asia desk SCMP’s Asia desk More than 3,000 Tuvaluans have applied for a landmark climate visa to move to Australia, as rising seas threaten to engulf vulnerable areas of the South Pacific island. Australia last week opened a new visa category specially set aside for adult citizens of Tuvalu following the groundbreaking climate migration pact, Falepili Union, signed in 2023. About 3,125 Tuvaluans – accounting for nearly a third of the population – had already entered the ballot within four days of its opening, Agence... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3316097/australias-landmark-climate-visa-attracts-thousands-seeking-refuge-rising-seas?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3316097/australias-landmark-climate-visa-attracts-thousands-seeking-refuge-rising-seas?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Jun 2025 08:28:10 +0000 Nicole Cheah Nicole Cheah Pacific island nations are racing to enhance marine conservation, establishing sweeping “no-take” zones and pledging to sustainably manage vast swathes of their territorial waters despite facing limited resources and geopolitical pressure. Among them, Samoa last month unveiled a ban on fishing, mining and other extractive activities over 30 per cent of its ocean territory by 2027. The move will create 36,000 sq km (13,900 square miles) of marine protected areas (MPAs) – more than 12 times the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3315979/pacific-island-nations-tap-indigenous-know-how-safeguard-ocean-health?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3315979/pacific-island-nations-tap-indigenous-know-how-safeguard-ocean-health?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Jun 2025 01:30:16 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown on Friday condemned “patronising” neighbour New Zealand, which halted aid to the Pacific island nation after it signed a slew of deals with China. Major partner New Zealand has halted millions of dollars in aid to the Cook Islands, citing a “lack of consultation” over agreements struck with China in February. Self-governing Cook Islands has a “free association” pact with New Zealand, its former colonial ruler, which provides budgetary assistance as well as... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3315155/cook-islands-defends-china-deals-after-us11-million-new-zealand-aid-pause?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3315155/cook-islands-defends-china-deals-after-us11-million-new-zealand-aid-pause?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Jun 2025 04:20:07 +0000 Reuters Reuters New Zealand has suspended millions of dollars in budget funding to the Cook Islands, it said on Thursday, as the relationship between the two constitutionally-linked countries continues to deteriorate amid the island group’s deepening ties with China. A spokesperson for Foreign Minister Winston Peters said in a statement that New Zealand had decided in early June to suspend payment of NZ$18.2 million (US$11 million) in core sector support funding for 2025-26 as this “relies on a high-trust... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3314987/new-zealand-suspends-us1097-million-cook-islands-funding-over-china-deal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3314987/new-zealand-suspends-us1097-million-cook-islands-funding-over-china-deal?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Jun 2025 00:58:30 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse China tried to mislead foreign governments in 2024 by playing down the importance of a nuclear-capable missile test over the Pacific Ocean, New Zealand diplomats privately warned in documents obtained by reporters. Beijing sent shivers through the South Pacific in September 2024, when its elite Rocket Force fired a dummy warhead into the high seas near French Polynesia. A tranche of classified government briefing notes shows deep concern within the New Zealand government in the wake of the... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3314874/classified-new-zealand-papers-detail-alarm-over-chinas-pacific-missile-test?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3314874/classified-new-zealand-papers-detail-alarm-over-chinas-pacific-missile-test?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Jun 2025 05:23:44 +0000 Reuters Reuters Less than half of working-age women are employed across Pacific island nations due to outdated laws and other barriers, the World Bank said in a new report on Tuesday. The World Bank economic update for the Pacific, which said closing the gender gap could boost economic growth, also forecast regional growth slowing to 2.6 per cent this year, down from 5.5 per cent in 2023. With 57 per cent or around 500,000 women not in work across the Pacific, the report said boosting female participation to... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3314696/most-pacific-island-women-dont-work-world-bank-wants-change?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3314696/most-pacific-island-women-dont-work-world-bank-wants-change?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Jun 2025 04:03:08 +0000 Leanne Mirandilla Leanne Mirandilla “Bula!” The Fijian greeting is the first thing I hear as my car pulls up to the entrance of the Jean-Michel Cousteau Resort. A woven necklace is placed around my neck and a fruity drink pressed into my hand as a guitar serenade starts up. “Welcome home.” Check into enough resorts and it might be easy for such receptions to feel run-of-the-mill – but there’s something in the wideness of my welcoming committee’s smiles that has me smiling back at the genuine warmth. “Bula” is the standard Fijian... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/lifestyle/travel-hotels/article/3313363/looking-luxury-eco-getaway-fiji-try-jean-michel-cousteau-resort-named-after-famed-oceanographer-its?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/lifestyle/travel-hotels/article/3313363/looking-luxury-eco-getaway-fiji-try-jean-michel-cousteau-resort-named-after-famed-oceanographer-its?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Jun 2025 04:00:13 +0000 SCMP’s Asia desk SCMP’s Asia desk Vanuatu has vowed to close loopholes in its “golden passport” scheme and take steps to nullify citizenship granted to influencer Andrew Tate, who reportedly bought the island nation’s travel document before he was arrested in Romania on charges of rape and human trafficking. Tate obtained the passport in December 2022 through a programme that allows foreigners to buy citizenship for US$130,000, the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) said in a statement on Monday. That... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3312997/vanuatu-seeks-cancel-andrew-tates-golden-passport-citizenship?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3312997/vanuatu-seeks-cancel-andrew-tates-golden-passport-citizenship?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Jun 2025 06:23:40 +0000 Christopher Cottrell Christopher Cottrell Phuket’s popularity with Russian and Chinese visitors is drawing Vanuatu’s citizenship-for-sale business to Thailand in a bid to cash in. While some law enforcement officials warn that Asia’s booming passport trade is fuelling cross-border crime and illicit finance, the strike-it-rich mood in Phuket remains undeterred. Investment Economics Ltd – a company owned by Russian nationals who also hold Vanuatu citizenship – has opened a Citizenship by Investment (CBI) office on Phuket, offering... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3309755/new-office-vanuatu-golden-visas-phuket-puts-citizenship-sale-risks-spotlight?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3309755/new-office-vanuatu-golden-visas-phuket-puts-citizenship-sale-risks-spotlight?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 May 2025 09:45:51 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The strange reproductive habits of a large, carnivorous New Zealand snail were once shrouded in mystery. Now footage of the snail laying an egg from its neck has been captured for the first time, the country’s conservation agency said on Wednesday. What looks like a tiny hen’s egg is seen emerging from an opening below the head of the Powelliphanta augusta snail, a threatened species endemic to New Zealand. The video was taken at a facility on the South Island’s West Coast, where conservation... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3309695/rare-new-zealand-snail-caught-camera-laying-egg-its-neck-first-time?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3309695/rare-new-zealand-snail-caught-camera-laying-egg-its-neck-first-time?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 May 2025 07:00:09 +0000 Ma Bo,Liu Yuhang Ma Bo,Liu Yuhang On April 24, President Donald Trump issued a groundbreaking executive order directing the United States to accelerate deep-sea mining operations in international waters, marking the first time the US government has endorsed the commercial extraction of seabed minerals. This decision intensifies the global debate surrounding seabed resource governance, ecological sustainability and strategic competition – particularly between the US and China. By circumventing established multilateral frameworks... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3308900/trumps-executive-order-boost-us-deep-sea-mining-will-force-china-act?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3308900/trumps-executive-order-boost-us-deep-sea-mining-will-force-china-act?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 05 May 2025 12:30:10 +0000 Maria Siow Maria Siow Trust in the United States’ commitment to Pacific island nations – and its influence in the region – risks further erosion as Washington faces scrutiny over its failure to deliver on financial pledges. Last month, leaders of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) sent a letter to the Trump administration, voicing concerns about what they described as a widening gap between American promises and actual delivery. Among the unfulfilled commitments is US$200 million in new funding announced in 2023,... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3308874/pacific-island-nations-see-us-pullback-will-china-step?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3308874/pacific-island-nations-see-us-pullback-will-china-step?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 03 May 2025 03:00:13 +0000