Australia is moving swiftly to ratify a landmark security and economic treaty with Nauru, officials said Monday, amid fears that a proposed A$1 billion (US$648 million) Chinese investment could challenge Canberra’s strategic foothold in the Pacific.
The treaty, signed in December, grants Australia significant oversight of Nauru’s security, banking, and telecommunications sectors. In return, Canberra pledged A$100 million in budget support and A$40 million for security assistance. While Nauru’s parliament has already ratified the agreement, Australia’s legislature was dissolved for a national election, delaying final approval.
“It’s important that we move forward and ratify as quickly as possible,” Mark Tattersall, an official with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, told a parliamentary committee reviewing the treaty. He noted that Canberra aims to finalize ratification before next month’s Pacific Islands leaders’ meeting, where China will not be present.
Concerns arose earlier this month after Nauru announced an investment deal with the China Rural Revitalization and Development Corp, which pledged to develop sectors ranging from renewable energy and fisheries to transport and health. Australian diplomats have sought clarification from both Beijing and Nauru, with Tattersall saying Nauru’s cabinet had not yet formally considered the proposal.
“The details of the arrangement suggest that implementation of any further investment in Nauru is potentially some time off,” he said.
Australia’s urgency reflects wider anxiety over Beijing’s growing influence in the Pacific. Tensions escalated after the Solomon Islands signed a security pact with China in 2022, followed by Beijing’s test of an intercontinental ballistic missile into the Pacific last year.
China, for its part, insists its regional activities are aimed at infrastructure development and improving livelihoods.
Written By Rodney Mbua
