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Pacific nations
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Pacific nations

Pacific nations
Pacific nations
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Pacific nations. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
A J-15 fighter jet from the Chinese aircraft carrier Shandong making an unusual approach to a Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force P-3C patrol aircraft conducting surveillance above the Pacific Ocean on June 8, 2025. Photo: Handout /Japan’s Ministry of Defence / AFP
Technology

Opinion | In Asia-Pacific, the real maritime contest is over satellite surveillance

States’ ability to exercise territorial rights is increasingly mediated by their access to satellite data and analytics, but the tech is dominated by a powerful few.

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Japan

Solomon Islands residents live in fear of WWII bomb explosions

Japan

Where can Japan store its nuclear waste? Island plan raises alarm

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Hong Kong Sevens

On This Day | First Hong Kong Sevens rugby tourney held in 1976 – SCMP archive

50 years ago today, the city hosted its first international rugby sevens tournament at the Hong Kong Football Club.

Hong Kong players run out on to the pitch at the first sevens in 1976. Photo: HKRFU
New Zealand

Wellington mayor dives into sewage row in New Zealand waters

Millions of litres of raw sewage have flowed into the waters off Wellington’s beaches since a treatment plant broke down on February 4.

New Zealand

‘Absolutely terrifying’ New Zealand storm leaves 30,000 homes without power

One man was found dead in a submerged vehicle on a highway after heavy rains and strong winds lashed the North Island over the weekend.

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Mainland China

US strips moral framing from foreign aid in ‘America first’ pivot

US funding for the Asia-Pacific now ties aid to business and security wins, a move analysts condemn as a ‘corrosive’ shift.

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US President Donald Trump meets fishermen and women from American Samoa in the White House last year as he signs a proclamation expanding US fishing rights in the Pacific. Photo: EPA-EFE
United States

World welcomes 2026 with fireworks, lightshows and hopes for peace

From Paris to Dubai to Sydney, crowds ring in the new year with exuberant celebrations.

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US-China relations

China’s rebuilding of Micronesian airport runway raises alarm in US

At least two Chinese companies appear to be involved in the Woleai project in the strategically important region.

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US-China relations

US denies Indo-Pacific retreat, says aid is being recalibrated to counter China

Washington argues that targeted assistance and partnerships will deepen regional ties and deliver longer-term economic and security gains.

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A toll booth at the Clark Freeport Zone in the Philippines, a sprawling managed economic zone that has received significant US backing through development initiatives. Photo: Handout
Russia

How sanctioned Russian oil flows freely via a tiny Pacific island nation

Some 20 tankers registered in the microstate allegedly smuggled Russian and Iranian fuel between 2024 and 2025 amid lax oversight.

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An oil tanker called the Eagle S (left), which flies under the flag of the Cook Islands, sails in the Gulf of Finland last year. Photo: AFP
China-New Zealand relations

China and Cook Islands team up on marine survey as rare earths race expands to sea

Nine-day voyage comes just weeks after a US research ship conducts its own survey in the region.

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Solomon Islands

Solomon Islands’ defence force dream: an Australia-China flashpoint?

A military force would help quell unrest, but some say relying on Beijing for arms may make the Pacific nation an ‘enemy state’ of the West.

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China-Australia relations

Call for ‘Pacific Eyes’ intelligence body to offset China’s growing presence

Think tank proposes dedicated alliance – initially with Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Fiji – to avoid being ‘blindsided’.

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A new report from an Australian think tank suggests Australia and other Pacific nations form a network to help plug intelligence gaps, particularly amid what it called China’s “unprecedented security inroads” in the region. Photo: Australian Defence Force/AFP
New Zealand

New Zealand calls on US to counter China’s Pacific mineral push

New Zealand wants stronger ties with the US to shield Pacific allies from exploitation amid rare earth riches and growing geopolitical threats.

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A worker drives a skip loader at a rare earth metals mine in China’s Jiangxi province. Photo: Reuters
Environment

A ‘ghost fleet’ of Japan’s rusting WWII wrecks is poisoning this Pacific paradise

After 80 years at the bottom of a remote Pacific lagoon, a sunken Japanese warship has begun to spill its toxic cargo into the environment.

US-China relations

US Congress urged to curb China’s influence in Indo-Pacific

Delegates maintain Beijing’s grey-zone campaign against Taiwan is a deliberate strategy designed to erode confidence, and it must fail to deliver any political concessions.

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Australia

What Australia’s ‘Pukpuk’ pact with Papua New Guinea means for the Pacific

While China has voiced misgivings, the pact is seen as necessary by some – even if it could draw Australia into PNG’s domestic conflicts.

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The flags of Australia and Papua New Guinea are displayed on a desk at Parliament House in Canberra on Monday. Photo: AFP
New Zealand

US$3.6 million compensation for Samoa after New Zealand navy ship sinks on reef

The ecological impact of the wreck of the HMNZS Manawanui, which remains at the site a year later, is still being assessed.

Australia

Will Australia’s defence pact with Papua New Guinea curb China’s Pacific sway?

The defence treaty strengthens ties, counters China’s influence, and offers PNG citizens a path to Australian citizenship.

Vanuatu

Pacific Islands leaders call for ‘ocean of peace’ but face rough seas at summit

The Pacific Islands Forum has been clouded by allegations that host Solomon Islands did not invite Taiwan to please its close backer.

Pacific Islands Forum Secretary-General Baron Waqa receives a gift from a Solomon Islander during the opening ceremony on Monday. Photo: Xinhua
Australia

Australia to send immigrants to Nauru after signing deal, including for funding

The deal is set to affect more than 220 immigrants in Australia, including some convicted of serious crimes.

A view of Ewa on the Pacific nation of Nauru. Australia says it will provide funding to Nauru under a deal to send immigrants to the island nation. Photo: AFP
Nato

‘We must invest’: New Zealand seeks to shed its ‘pretty slack’ defence image

Analysts suggest Wellington’s new US$5.2 billion defence plan is a hedge against pressure from Donald Trump’s White House.

US-China relations

‘Textbook misinformation’: China rejects New Zealand security accusations

Annual report says New Zealand faces rising threats of foreign interference and spying; accuses Beijing of being ‘most active’ player.

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Solomon Islands

Controversy as Solomon Islands freezes out all Pacific Islands Forum partners

Observers say the ‘pragmatic compromise’ aims to create space for Pacific-only dialogue and stop geopolitics from tearing the PIF apart.

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Flags from Pacific nations are seen on the last day of a Pacific Islands Forum in 2018. Photo: AFP
United Nations

Plastic pollution talks in disarray as nations reject draft treaty

Some countries blasted the lack of legally binding action, while oil-producing states say the text goes too far.

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“The Thinker’s Burden” by Canadian artist Benjamin Von Wong is seen in front of the United Nations Offices in Geneva on Wednesday. Photo: AFP
US-China relations

Beijing denies threat as FBI opens new office in New Zealand to ‘counter China’

FBI director Kash Patel says Wellington office shows the agency is ‘prioritising a permanent presence across all Five Eyes countries’.

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Climate change

Opinion | World Court’s ruling opens the door wider for climate justice

The court’s decision could result in legal action against countries that fail to honour their climate commitments.

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