PACNEWS TWO 07 JULY 2026

PM Rabuka says Fiji’s sovereignty secure under historic Australia alliance

By Pita Ligaiula

SUVA, 07 JULY 2026 (PACNEWS) — Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka says Fiji’s sovereignty remains secure under the newly signed Vuvale Union and Ocean of Peace Alliance with Australia, stressing that the partnership is built on dialogue, regional solidarity and respect for international law.

Speaking at a joint press conference with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Suva on Monday, Rabuka was asked how Fiji would ensure the long-term protection of its sovereignty under the alliance.

“We are protected by the articles of the United Nations. We are a member of the United Nations. If anything threatens that sovereignty, we have the Vuvale partnership. We have our own regional solidarity to rely on as well as the world’s understanding of the word sovereignty.

“I believe our sovereignty is secure. Our relationship is based on understanding, on dialogue rather than disputes. We will not take our differences to weapons. We will come to the conference table and work through that way to ensure that our sovereignty is respected,” Rabuka told Journalists in Suva.

Responding to questions about criticism that Australia was advancing its own agenda in response to China’s growing influence in the Pacific, Prime Minister Albanese said the alliance builds on a long history of cooperation between the two countries.

“This alliance is about elevating what is a long history of defence cooperation.

“And indeed, when we sat in our bilateral meeting, not just the Prime Minister but three of his colleagues as well, had all undertaken experience in Victoria or indeed at Duntroon. And so, this is, as well, builds on the work that we’ve done over a long period of time standing side by side in peacekeeping missions.”

“This is about our relationship but elevating it to the highest possible level of an alliance,” said Albanese.

Asked what practical defence and security benefits the agreement would bring for Fiji, Albanese said the treaty strengthens Australia’s commitment to Fiji’s security.

“Firstly, the alliance provisions are very clear, which is that an attack on Fiji from an outside force would trigger Australia’s full support for Fiji and for its sovereignty,” Albanese said.

He said the agreement would also expand defence cooperation.

“When it comes to defence cooperation, what this will do is to further allow for discussions about specifics. We have provided some infrastructure in the past.

“It’s not about troops in each other’s nations or that at all, but it will allow for a clearer area of cooperation and requests to be made over the full suite of challenges that confront national security in 2026.

“That comes not just from traditional ways that it’s seen, but areas like cyber security and other areas as well. And it will mean an upgrade in areas including increased cooperation in training and exercises as well,” said Albanese.

The two leaders were also asked whether other Pacific Island countries could join the alliance in the future.

Rabuka said the agreement demonstrates what Pacific neighbours can achieve together.

“It’s not a matter of wanting. We have just signed the treaty as an example of what Pacific neighbours can do for each other and together as we move forward to ensure that the Pacific remains an ocean of peace, that we are prepared to come to everybody else at and anybody else in the Pacific region assistance when they are threatened.”

“And that is the real nature of this. We can specifically ask for one, as I had tried to develop, and Australia said, yes, we’ll go with you. And I’m sure right now there are other Pacific leaders who are waiting to come in. The more, the stronger, the better,” Rabuka stressed.

Albanese said Australia wants Pacific countries to take responsibility for the region’s own security while distinguishing the new agreement from broader regional arrangements.

“We have said very clearly that when it comes to security issues, the Pacific family need to look after our own security. We’ve made that clear across the board.

“And the Vuvale Agreement is certainly a part of that. But we have said that we want to be as well the security partner of choice within our family. So, that has a range of aspects, including the Pacific Policing Initiative that has been very successful.

“An alliance, though, is something at a very different level. It’s something that was proposed by Prime Minister Rabuka and we were happy to agree because of the history and the relationship that we have with Fiji, which is very, very special.”

“It’s a bilateral alliance. That is a different level from the discussions that normally take place about regional security and those elements as well,” said PM Albanese…. PACNEWS

China tests long-range missile in South Pacific in move Australia condemns as ‘destabilising to region’

SUVA/BEIJING, 07 JULY 2026 (THE GUARDIAN/AP/REUTERS/AFP/ABC) — China has conducted a long-range missile test in the South Pacific just hours after Australia signed a defence agreement with Fiji, sparking condemnation from Canberra and regional leaders.

The Australian foreign minister, Penny Wong, said the missile test was “destabilising” to the region, while her New Zealand counterpart, Winston Peters, described it as “deeply concerning”.

A Chinese navy statement said a nuclear submarine launched a “strategic missile carrying a training simulation warhead” on Monday, adding it had “accurately land(ed) in the designated sea area”.

“This missile test launch is a routine arrangement of China’s annual military training, and relevant countries were informed in advance,” spokesperson Wang Xuemeng said in the WeChat statement.

China’s defence ministry did not confirm whether an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) was used in Monday’s test.

The exact location of the test was unknown. The New Zealand government said it was informed of the planned launch hours beforehand and noted that it was fired into the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone.

The ⁠test came just hours after Australia and Fiji signed a major defence alliance, committing each country to come ⁠to the other’s aid in the event of an attack.

The so-called Ocean of Peace alliance, which is open to other countries to join in the future, is part of Australia’s efforts to deepen ties in the Pacific and push back at Beijing’s attempts to expand its influence in the region.

Malcolm Davis, a senior defence analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, was certain the timing of the test was not a coincidence.

“[The test] is clearly an indication that China will use military force, or the threat of military force, to try to intimidate and coerce small Pacific states into not seeking closer relations with Australia,” he said.

Australia’s assistant foreign minister, Matt Thistlethwaite, told the ABC the government did not believe there was a link between the alliance announcement and the test.

But another federal government source told the Guardian they believed the events were linked.

China’s ministry of foreign affairs said the launch was “not directed at any specific country or target”.

“Related launch operations were conducted safely, in a standardised manner and professionally. It is hoped that relevant countries will not over-interpret this,” spokesperson Mao Ning told reporters.

The Chinese embassy in Australia did not respond to a request for comment.

Australia’s acting prime minister, Richard Marles, said China had only informed his country on Monday of its plans to conduct a long-range missile test in the Pacific region, with reports that it was a nuclear-capable device with a dummy warhead.

“We were informed by China of its intention to do this test,” Marles told a press conference on Monday afternoon.

“This is a long-range missile test, and we are very concerned about any actions which undermine the stability, the peace, and security of the Pacific,” he said.

Thistlethwaite said Australia was “deeply concerned” and had already “conveyed those concerns to the Chinese government, both in Beijing and in Canberra as well”.

“The motivations behind it, I think, are a question for the Chinese government. I think the Australian people, and indeed the people of the Pacific, would like to know the motivation behind it,” Thistlethwaite said.

A statement from the Japanese government said it had tried to convince China not to fire the test missile and had “expressed serious concerns over China’s increasing military activity”.

Wong said she would “leave it to China to speak to its intent” but that Australia had been aware of a Chinese task group in the region “for some time”.

“Australia has been clear with China that we regard this as destabilising to the region,” Wong said from Fiji, where she was travelling with the prime minister, Anthony Albanese.

“Australia has been clear that this proposal, this proposed test, is in the context of a rapid military buildup by China, which is lacking in the transparency and reassurance as to intent, that the region expects.

“The Pacific Islands Forum leaders have made clear that they want the Pacific to be an Ocean of Peace. We believe this test is inconsistent with that objective.”

Wong would not confirm whether Australia had been informed about the missile’s potential nuclear capability. On Monday afternoon she said Australia had been informed the test would be “within the next 24 hours”.

The test reportedly occurred at about the same time.

Speaking to the ABC on Monday evening, Wong said Australian defence attachés in Beijing and officials in Canberra had been briefed by their Chinese counterparts earlier in the day. Australian officials communicated the government’s view, she said.

Wong said she expected to discuss the test in her next official engagements with Chinese representatives.

“In an era where we see contest and competition, the destabilising acts can lead to miscalculation, can lead where we do not want these actions to lead,” she said.

China last tested an intercontinental ballistic missile in 2024, a rare event that highlighted the country’s increasing military capabilities.

Data from Starboard Maritime Intelligence, a New Zealand ship-tracking company, showed three Chinese satellite-tracking vessels positioned ‌throughout the Pacific.

Two vessels departed China on about 25 June and now sit near the Federated States of Micronesia. The third departed China in early May and is now at harbour in Fiji’s capital, Suva.

“These vessels carry large satellite dishes used to track missile launches and other space activity and are likely in the Pacific to collect data from the ⁠missile test China has reportedly notified regional governments to expect within 24 hours,” said Mark Douglas, an analyst for Starboard.

Noting the departure times of the Chinese vessels, he added: “This test has ‌been planned well in advance. That said, the notification landing the day after Australia and Fiji signed the Ocean of Peace Alliance is interesting, to say the least… PACNEWS

NZ accuses China of going against peace and stability of Pacific

WELLINGTON, 07 JULY 2026 (RNZ PACIFIC) — New Zealand says China’s testing of nuclear-capable weapons into the South Pacific is at odds with peace and stability in the Islands region.

China briefed regional governments on Monday of its intention to fire a long-range, nuclear-capable missile with a dummy warhead into the South Pacific Ocean.

According to New Zealand’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Winston Peters, China carried out the test within hours of informing his government.

“The Pacific is an Ocean of Peace and we are deeply concerned by China’s testing of nuclear-capable weapons into the South Pacific,” Peters said.

New Zealand and Pacific Island countries have long opposed any form of nuclear testing, or testing of nuclear-related capabilities, in the region.

“We, like our neighbours in other Pacific countries, have no interest in China using the South Pacific as a testing site for missile capability,” the minister said

Peters said China’s move was at odds with the spirit and intent of the Blue Pacific Ocean of Peace, an initiative driven by Fiji’s Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka, aimed safeguarding the Pacific region from conflict and militarisation, which has been endorsed by all Pacific Islands Forum members.

“This missile was fired into the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone established by the Treaty of Rarotonga. China’s action goes against the object and intent of that Treaty,” Peters noted.

Maritime intelligence company Starboard has published images showing that China currently has a number of satellite tracking vessels in the Pacific region, vessels which would be used to monitor a test ballistic missile launch.

One of them was reportedly sitting in harbour of Fiji’s capital, Suva Monday, on the same day that Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was visiting to sign landmark security and defence treaties with Fiji.

The Vuvale Union Treaty and the Ocean of Peace Alliance are the latest in a series of security or defence-related pacts that Canberra has signed with Pacific countries, seen by commentators as a move to wedge out China.

Various Pacific Islands governments have voiced concern about the increasing militarisation of the region, which was echoed by Peters today in response to China’s missile test.

“We will be talking with our Pacific partners about this development. Pacific leaders have been clear we do not want to see the region become a theatre for outside military competition.

“This launch is not consistent with regional stability, and peace in the South Pacific,” he said.

Given China’s test firing of an intercontinental ballistic missile into the South Pacific in 2024, Peters said regional countries were concerned at what now seems to be a recurring pattern by China.

He said the region should not sit by and allow such tests to become “normalised or routine”…. PACNEWS

Damage but no casualties reported from Pacific super typhoon

SAIPAN/HAGATNA, 07 JULY 2026 (AFP) — Authorities in the Northern Marianas and Guam reported extensive damage including fallen trees and downed power lines Monday after a super typhoon with the force of a category-five hurricane hit the U.S Pacific territories.

No casualties had been reported, although with treacherous conditions throughout much of the day hindering clear-up operations, a full picture was yet to emerge. 

Worst hit was the small island of Rota, hit by the full force of Super Typhoon Bavi early Monday with winds of up to 180 miles (290 kilometres) per hour, knocking out power, water and communications for many of its 1,500 people.

A spokeswoman for the Rota Municipal Operations Centre, Lou Rosario, said that there had been reports of “major damages”

“A lot of telephone and power lines down. I think this is a major, major storm,” said Juan Pan Guerrero, president of the Rota Chamber of Commerce.

“We’ve been out of power and communications for almost eight hours,” he said.

The National Weather Service had warned before that a direct hit by Bavi would make most of Rota “uninhabitable for weeks, perhaps longer”.

The island of Tinian, northern parts of Guam and the southern tip of Saipan experienced winds equivalent to a category-one hurricane, NWS meteorologist Marcus Landon Aydlett said.

On Guam, AFP saw downed trees, fallen streetlamps, debris strewn over roads and at least one car flipped over by the wind.

Around 10 major roads were impassable due to flooding, fallen trees, downed utility lines, rockslides and other storm-related damage, Guam authorities said.

“Stay off the road. Any additional vehicles on the road hinders emergency responders and delays the expedited clearing of the roads,” the Joint Information Centre said, warning that “hazardous conditions remain”.

Edwin Santa Theresa, a 56-year-old health worker on Tinian Island said that residents had been “prepared” for the storm after being hit by Super Typhoon Sinlaku in April.

“Our power was only restored to my house four days ago (after Sinlaku), but now it’s out again. I just hope that after this typhoon passes, electricity will be restored quickly,” he told AFP.

Rowell Mariano, 61, in Saipan, the main island of the Northern Marianas, also said that the April storm was worse for him.

“Sinlaku was stronger because the centre of the storm passed directly over Saipan,” Mariano said.

“During Sinlaku, our house was flooded because of the strong winds and heavy rain, and our ceiling was damaged. Sinlaku was really traumatic for us.”

Several hundred people were holed up at the Guam Plaza Hotel where windows shook violently during the night and well into Monday, with rain leaking into rooms and stairwells.

Around 70 percent of guests people staying in the hotel – which in April spent US$800,000 on a backup generator – were locals not tourists.

“Our hotel is locally owned so we cater to our local customers and we are going to make sure they have a shelter here,” general manager Sudipta Basu, 59, told AFP.

Already on Sunday afternoon, the roads of Guam and the Northern Marianas were practically deserted except for police cars and surfers driving back from enjoying the huge waves.

Almost all stores were closed, many of them with their windows boarded up.

Pinky Cubacub, 55, said she bought US$500 worth of plywood at a lumber store for her eatery in Guam.

“I cannot afford to lose so many days. It hurts,” she told AFP.

In 2023, Guam and the Northern Marianas – part of an archipelago several thousand kilometres (miles) west of the mainland United States – were hit by Mawar, the biggest storm in decades.

Warmer oceans help tropical storms to intensify and add more moisture, which can fall as heavy rain.

The world’s oceans experienced their hottest June on record and could set fresh highs in the months ahead, the European Union’s Copernicus Marine Service said last week.

The World Meteorological Organisation warned on Friday that El Nino, which typically occurs every two to seven years and lasts nine to 12 months, has already begun in the tropical Pacific and is likely to be strong.

The natural climate phenomenon warms surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean, bringing worldwide changes in winds, pressure and rainfall patterns.

“Our big concern for this being an El Nino year is that it’s going to be a lot busier than we’ve seen in the last five or six years,” said Aydlett of the NWS…. PACNEWS

Vuvale Union to allow longer stays for Fijians in Australia

SUVA, 07 JULY 2026 (FIJI SUN) — Fijians travelling to Australia will soon be able to stay longer and enjoy easier access to education and business travel under an expanded Vuvale Union and Ocean of Peace alliance announced by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

Speaking during a joint press conference in Suva, Albanese said the agreement would align the treatment of Fijian visitors with that already enjoyed by Australians travelling to Fiji.

“What the Vuvale Agreement provides for is an increase in the period of stay for Fijians coming to Australia, so that it is equal with the treatment of Australians coming to Fiji,” he said.

The announcement follows repeated calls by the Fiji Government for greater mobility and easier movement of Pacific people.

Under the enhanced people-to-people provisions of the Vuvale Agreement, Fijians will be able to apply for stays of up to four months in Australia, while business travellers will be eligible for five-year, multiple-entry visas.

The agreement will also allow selected cohorts of Fijian students to study at Australian universities under the same fee arrangements as Australian students from 2029, a commitment valued at FJD$46 million (US$23 million).

The measures form part of a broader package aimed at strengthening ties between Fiji and Australia through greater people-to-people links, education and economic cooperation…. PACNEWS

$35m Ocean of Peace Centre for Suva

SUVA, 07 JULY 2026 (FIJI SUN) — A new FJ$35 million (US$17.5 million) Ocean of Peace Centre will be built in Suva, after Prime Ministers Sitiveni Rabuka and Anthony Albanese signed the Vuvale Union and Ocean of Peace Alliance Monday.

This will give the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) a base to help members act on Fiji’s Ocean of Peace Declaration.

The two agreements, Rabuka said, are anchored on three pillars, with the treaties providing “deeper security cooperation, enhanced economic integration and resilience, and strengthened people-to-people connection.”

The Vuvale Union is backed by more than FJ$1.5 billion(US$750 million) over a decade, including FJ$284 million(US$142 million) to fight drugs and transnational crime, FJD$158 million(US$79 million) for health including the HIV response and a new national hospital, and FJ$228 million in grants for ports and flood works.

Fijians will also be able to apply for four-month visitor visas, with business travellers eligible for five-year, multiple-entry visas.

The Ocean of Peace Alliance, Fiji’s first such pact and Australia’s fourth, creates a mutual defence obligation, with Albanese saying, “there’s no higher obligation than to come to each other’s aid…. PACNEWS

Nauru pitches climate-focused citizenship programme to Filipino families

MANILA/YAREN, 07 JULY 2026 (PHILIPPINES TRIBUNE) — Nauru is promoting its Economic and Climate Resilience Citizenship Programme to Filipino families seeking greater security, global mobility and long-term climate resilience.

Launched in late 2024, the programme is being positioned as an option for families concerned about geopolitical uncertainty, rising sea levels and expanding educational and economic opportunities for future generations.

Nauru said the programme has already received applications from Thailand and Vietnam, including from applicants residing in Singapore, reflecting growing interest across Southeast Asia.

The government said the Philippines is a key market because of its large population of globally mobile professionals, entrepreneurs and overseas workers who may benefit from additional travel and residency options.

The programme is being promoted as a response to increasing climate risks faced by vulnerable countries, including the Philippines.

Nauru said its “Higher Ground Initiative” reflects the Pacific nation’s efforts to strengthen long-term climate resilience and adapt to rising sea levels.

The government said the citizenship programme is intended to provide families with greater flexibility and opportunities should environmental or geopolitical conditions change.

Nauru also highlighted the value of holding a passport from a politically neutral Pacific nation amid evolving geopolitical tensions in the Asia-Pacific region.

It said the programme offers internationally mobile professionals and investors an alternative citizenship option that is not tied to major geopolitical blocs.

According to Nauru, the programme is designed to support family security by providing future generations with broader educational and mobility opportunities.

The government said its citizenship offering is intended to help families preserve opportunities across generations while remaining together.

Nauru said applicants undergo comprehensive due diligence, including international law enforcement screening and financial background checks.

The government said these measures are intended to maintain the integrity and credibility of the programme.

Unlike traditional citizenship-by-investment programmes, Nauru said contributions made under the programme are directed toward projects supporting the country’s economic development and climate resilience.

The government said the approach allows applicants to pursue greater personal security while contributing to the long-term sustainability of the Pacific island nation.

The Nauru Economic and Climate Resilience Citizenship Programme aims to provide participating families with enhanced security, global mobility and long-term opportunities while supporting the country’s climate adaptation and economic resilience efforts…. PACNEWS

PACNEWS BIZ

ADB approves $12.5 million financing to strengthen fiscal resilience and sustainable planning in Palau

MANILA, 07 JULY 2026 (ADB) — The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved US$12.5 million in concessional financing for the Republic of Palau to support reforms that strengthen public financial management, enhance resilience to extreme weather events, and promote sustainable economic development.

The financing supports subprogramme 2 of the Strengthening Fiscal Resilience for Sustainable Development Programme, which is helping Palau build stronger institutions, improve fiscal sustainability, and better prepare for economic and environmental shocks. It will scale up the country’s ability to mobilise funding for resilience initiatives and implement priority actions under its national development strategies.

“Palau has demonstrated continued strong leadership in advancing reforms that support fiscal sustainability, resilience to natural hazards, and long-term economic growth,” said ADB North Pacific Advisor Aziz Haydarov.

“This programme will help strengthen the government’s institutions and systems that underpin sustainable development, while ensuring Palau is better equipped to respond to economic and environmental challenges.”

Palau—a small island developing state recognised for its leadership in ocean conservation and sustainable tourism—has made significant progress in the COVID-19 pandemic recovery, supported by a strong rebound in tourism and continued economic reforms. 

The programme will help the government build on this progress by bolstering fiscal governance, debt management, tax administration, domestic resource mobilisation, planning systems, and trade facilitation, while protecting the country’s natural and marine resources.

The programme supports the implementation of the country’s updated climate policy, strengthening natural hazard-responsive planning and budgeting, and helping state governments integrate resilience into land-use planning and development actions. 

It also backs the Palau Sustainable Tourism Strategy 2025–2028, helping ensure economic growth and environmental stewardship reinforce each other…. PACNEWS

New survey exposes Sāmoa’s labour gap as businesses lose skilled workers, youth miss out

APIA, 07 JULY 2026 (PMN) — Sāmoa’s employers say they are caught in a growing labour squeeze with skilled workers leaving for overseas jobs while many young people at home are struggling to find a pathway into work.

A new nationwide business survey has found almost half of employers have lost staff to labour mobility schemes over the past two years.

The findings have prompted calls for stronger skills training and better support for local businesses.

The Samoa Chamber of Commerce and Industry-Market Development Facility (SCCI-MDF) Labour Migration Survey Report 2025-2026, released by the SCCI in Apia last week, found 47 percent of 408 businesses surveyed had lost workers through New Zealand’s Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme, the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) or employment with StarKist.

SCCI President Fa’asootauloa Sam Saili said the findings should not be seen as a criticism of labour mobility.

“Labour mobility is an important part of Sāmoa’s development story, but it must be supported by stronger domestic workforce planning and private sector resilience,” he said at the launch.

He said the report calls for a more balanced approach that supports workers, families, employers and the wider economy.

The survey found skilled workers were the hardest hit, with 79 percent of businesses providing role-specific information saying they had lost experienced staff.

Semi-skilled workers were the next biggest group affected at 41 percent.

Businesses reported a combined 2375 resignations across 2023 and 2024.

The impact is already being felt. More than a third of businesses, 36 percent, reported they had increased wages or offered incentives such as accommodation, meals and flexible working hours to retain staff while almost one in three reported lower productivity.

The findings also highlight a challenge within Sāmoa’s own labour market.

While employers say they cannot find enough skilled workers, the 2022 Sāmoa Labour Force and Child Labour Survey found youth unemployment stood at 13.4 percent while 30.1 percent of young people were not in employment, education or training.

The report says the answer is not simply a bigger workforce but a better-trained one. Businesses identified vocational and technical training as the single most important support needed to help fill skills shortages.

The issue comes as labour mobility continues to deliver major economic benefits. Sāmoa’s 2026/27 Budget recorded remittance inflows of ST$900.6 million (NZ$570 million) in 2024/25.

Political leaders have acknowledged the pressure the schemes are placing on the domestic workforce.

During parliamentary debate last month, Prime Minister Laaulialemalietoa Leuatea Polataivao Schmidt said the lack of clear policy guidelines for labour mobility had contributed to the departure of not only unskilled workers, but also teachers, police officers, nurses and hospitality staff.

The survey also found support for affected businesses. Only seven businesses or 1.7 percent of respondents said they had received government or donor assistance while 21 percent were unaware any support was available.

John Lemoa, SCCI’s Chief Executive, says the survey moves the conversation “from general concern to practical action” and will help guide the chamber’s work with businesses and policymakers.

Funded by the Australian government through the Market Development Facility, the report recommends improving workforce planning, expanding vocational training and making it easier for businesses to access support.

New Zealand’s RSE scheme recruited around 3800 Sāmoan workers in 2024-25, while Australia’s PALM scheme counted 3120 as of April 2026, underlining how central both pathways have become to Sāmoa’s workforce.

Australian High Commissioner to Sāmoa, Will Robinson, said at the report’s launch that Canberra recognised the “dual reality of both benefits and challenges” of labour mobility for participating nations.

Instead of questioning the value of labour mobility, the report argues Sāmoa’s next challenge is ensuring it can train enough skilled workers at home to meet the needs of both its economy and the opportunities available overseas…. PACNEWS

Fisherman from detained Indonesian vessel dies as Palau Court settlement frees ship after 4 months

KOROR, 07 JULY 2026 (ISLAND TIMES) — An Indonesian-flagged fishing vessel held in Palau for nearly four months has finally departed — but not before one of its crew members died, raising questions about the treatment of foreign fishermen detained in maritime disputes.

FAO boosts support for Codex, calls for stronger implementation of global food safety standards

GENEVA/ROME, 07 JULY 2026 (FAO) — The 49th Session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission opened today in Geneva, with Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) Director-General QU Dongyu highlighting increased FAO investment in Codex and reaffirming the Organisation’s commitment to support countries in translating international food standards into tangible benefits for consumers, producers and trade.

Opening the session via video message, the Director-General recalled that the FAO Ministerial Conference approved in 2025 an additional allocation of USD$500 000 to the Codex Secretariat in the 2026–27 Programme of Work and Budget, to support the work of the Commission. 

The additional funding will contribute to the work of newly reactivated subsidiary bodies, the timely publication of Codex texts and upgrades to digital infrastructure.

Additionally, FAO remains committed to ensuring that Codex continues to receive the scientific advice underpinning its decisions while supporting developing countries in building the capacity needed to implement Codex standards effectively.

“Impact depends on implementation – without implementation these standards cannot achieve their intended benefits,” the Director-General said, stressing that while Codex continues to provide essential tools to ensure food safety and facilitate trade, the next challenge is ensuring that countries can effectively apply those standards.

QU said international food standards contribute far beyond food safety, helping to build trust, reduce waste, and create more competitive and equitable markets as countries work to transform agrifood systems to become more efficient, more inclusive, more resilient and more sustainable.

Established by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organisation (WHO), the Codex Alimentarius Commission first met in 1963. It is the United Nations’ body charged with setting food standards to protect consumer health and facilitate fair practices in international food trade.

Comprising 188 Member Countries and 1 Member Organisation (the European Union) and 246 Observer Organisations, the Commission meets annually to adopt food safety and quality standards and related recommendations.

While Codex texts are voluntary, they serve as an international benchmark that supports the development of national legislation, helps reduce barriers to trade, and strengthen consumer confidence by ensuring that food is safe, of good quality, and honestly presented.

CAC49 is taking place in Geneva from 06 to 10 July 2026, bringing together Codex Members, observer organisations and international partners to advance international food standards…. PACNEWS

PACNEWS DIGEST

The views expressed in PACNEWS are those of agencies contributing articles and do not necessarily those of PINA and/or PACNEWS

The time of publicly tiptoeing around China’s geopolitical push in the Pacific appears to be over.

Analysis by Barbara Dreaver 

AUCKLAND, 07 JULY 2026 (TVNZ) — Pacific leaders are fond of chanting “Friends to all, enemies to none” when confronted with the growing competitive pressure between superpowers in the region — not least because China is generous with much-needed aid and cash for its Pacific friends.

But the fact Beijing has fired a long-range missile with a dummy nuclear warhead into the Pacific from a submarine, shortly after Australia and Fiji signed a comprehensive and elevated security pact on mutual defence, is unlikely to be welcomed.

First off, the word “nuclear” remains triggering for the Pacific, which was used as a testing ground for many years — primarily by the U.S, France and UK — and this dummy warhead missile landed in the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone.

Pacific leaders are also unlikely to see it as coincidence that the Australia-Fiji deal and the missile firing into the region happened within hours of each other, and they won’t appreciate their front yards being targeted.

The Pacific Islands Forum’s Pacific Security Outlook Report 2026, which came out several months ago, couldn’t have been more accurate when it reported: “In the Pacific, the positioning of military and strategic assets into the region is likely to increase over the next 12 to 24 months. This was demonstrated in the recent past by China increasing visibility around its military capability through the conduct of an intercontinental ballistic missile test and freedom of navigation patrols, including circumnavigating Australia.”

The battle for influence has been revving up.

In 2022, China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi raced around the region on an ambitious eight-country, ten-day tour building relationships, hopeful after signing a secret bilateral security agreement with the Solomon Islands. But a lot has changed since 2022.

It is not the first time China has fired missiles into the Pacific. In 2024, a ballistic missile flew past parts of Kiribati, evoking a rare but furious response from President Taneti Maamau, who said Kiribati did not welcome the test and had not been warned. It was a rare rebuke because Kiribati has had a close relationship with China, including hosting Chinese police within its own ranks.

Then early last year, Chinese warships carried out live firing exercises between Australia and New Zealand. But Monday’s test was far more blatant in its timing.

As well as signing up Fiji to a defence alliance, Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is also heading to the Solomon Islands to continue negotiating a treaty there before hosting leaders from Tonga, Samoa and Papua New Guinea.

Australia has already signed the Pukpuk Treaty with Papua New Guinea, giving it access to PNG’s military facilities and troops.

And then there’s its Nakamal Agreement, signed with Vanuatu just over a week ago, in which the island nation agrees not to permit its territory to be used for any foreign military base or infrastructure.

Earlier this year, New Zealand signed a defence and security declaration with the Cook Islands, tidying up a two-year political relationship breakdown with its realm country after Prime Minister Mark Brown signed a number of secret agreements with Beijing without consulting New Zealand.

It appears, on the surface of it at least, that China is being edged out by Australia — edged out of a region it has spent a lot of time fostering relationships and winning influence. Hence the long-range missile test. The timing alone sends a message.

The Pacific Islands Forum leaders will be meeting in Palau next month. It promises to be an interesting meeting…. PACNEWS