Stephen Dziedzic

In a high-profile speech laying out Australia's Indian Ocean strategy, the foreign minister warned against political interference and economic coercion, urging China to be more transparent about its military build-up.

The Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea James Marape urges Australia to not "give up" on his country during an historic address to the federal parliament.

Papua New Guinea's Prime Minister James Marape has arrived in Canberra ahead of a historic address at Parliament House, but a political storm is continuing to brew at home in Port Moresby.

The writer and democracy activist has been imprisoned since 2019 on charges of spying, which he denies. Foreign Minister Penny Wong called the court's decision "harrowing and appalling", although his death penalty can be converted to a life sentence after two years of good behaviour.

Taiwan's top diplomatic representative to Australia has declared that he's "quite confident" that Tuvalu won't follow Nauru's lead and switch diplomatic recognition to China, despite Beijing's attempts to "lure" politicians in the Pacific Island country.

Justice For Myanmar reported that almost a dozen Australian and Australian-linked mining companies are still operating in the country and investing in its resources sector.

The Coalition is trying to ramp up pressure on the federal government over new police cooperation negotiations between China and Papua New Guinea, saying it's "essential" that Australia's strategic position in the Pacific nation isn't undermined.

Next March, leaders from across South-East Asia will join a major summit in Melbourne to celebrate the 50th anniversary of ties between Australia and ASEAN. What is the meeting all about, and what are the trickiest issues the leaders will grapple with? 

Analysts say the protracted bans were part of a campaign of economic punishment conducted by China against Australia due to political tensions.

Three Pacific ministers attend a high-level meeting on police cooperation between China and Pacific Island nations as Beijing continues its push to cement deeper security ties with the region.

Prime ministers Anthony Albanese and James Marape meet in Canberra to deepen security ties with a pact that has a status like a treaty, while Beijing continues its push to expand policing ties with Pacific Island countries and regional defence chiefs discuss a joint military response group.

In a fiery speech in Canberra, Fiji's deputy prime minister warns the Pacific could face instability if it doesn't reach development goals and is once again pressing Australia to agree to a European-style zone of free movement in the region.

The agreement is expected to focus heavily on Papua New Guinea's internal security, with PNG looking to Australia to do more to help train and bolster its police force.

Both countries want to reset relationships that soured when Australia ditched a lucrative multi-billion-dollar submarine contract with the French company Naval Group so it could join AUKUS.

Australia's climate change ambassador says the federal government cannot yet back the Pacific's call to rapidly phase out fossil fuels because it's grappling with "complex" and "difficult" issues thrown up by decarbonisation.

The foreign minister and opposition leader press a top Chinese official over the "unsafe and unprofessional" conduct of a People's Liberation Army warship that confronted an Australian frigate earlier this month.

The warning comes in the wake of a confrontation between Australian frigate HMAS Toowoomba and a Chinese warship, which left two Australian divers with minor injuries.

Taiwan's defence ministry said an Australian ship, understood to be the HMAS Toowoomba, has sailed through the strategic waterway, after its personnel were injured by a Chinese sonar pulse. 

Australian officials are increasingly worried about the Pacific's vulnerability to cyber attacks, with the government spending $26 million to set up "rapid assistance" teams made up of experts from the private sector and specialists from intelligence agencies like the Australian Signals Directorate.

The president of Kiribati has played down the chances of his country striking a treaty with Australia similar to the landmark pact that Anthony Albanese signed late last week with Tuvalu's prime minister.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced a new pact with the low-lying island country of Tuvalu, allowing residents facing displacement from climate change the ability to resettle in Australia. 

Pacific leaders including Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will descend on the beautiful island of Rarotonga in the Cook Islands this week for the Pacific Islands Forum leaders meeting. And the two "big Cs" will be on the agenda.

Kazuhiro Suzuki is Japan's ambassador to Australia. He is also the son of a trained kamikaze pilot. His family history tells the story of Japan's ruinous embrace of empire, and its transformation in the decades since.

China's small police liaison team in Solomon Islands will increase to help provide security for this month's Pacific Games, while the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force gets another donation of equipment from Beijing including metal detectors and drones in a move that's causing concern in Canberra.

A leading think tank is warning the Australian government to be careful not to overload Pacific countries with debt in China's absence.