Vanuatu’s government says it expects China’s police presence in the country to reduce over time, as part of the Nakamal Agreement with Australia.
The pact, worth about $500 million over a decade, was signed in Canberra in June by Vanuatu Prime Minister Jotham Napat and his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese.
Details on how it will work and its implications have not been clear.
But a joint statement issued by both countries yesterday said Vanuatu’s policing arrangement with China is time-limited and expected to reduce, while the Nakamal Agreement is legally binding with no expiry date.
ABC’s foreign affairs reporter Stephen Dziedzic says the important clause regarding China is the one that reaffirms Vanuatu’s commitment to Australia and other PIF members for security services.
“It seems that Vanuatu … is now taking deliberate steps,” he said. “Putting it on the public record through this joint statement to reassure Australia that China will not maintain an ongoing police presence.”
