Australia Unveils $75m in Tuvalu Funding Amid China Push in Region
By Shaun Turton, Nikkei Asia
May 9, 2024
SYDNEY — Australia on Thursday announced 113 million Australian dollars ($75 million) in funding for projects in Tuvalu, including an undersea telecommunications cable, climate change adaptation and setting up the Pacific country's National Security Coordination Center.
The two sides also released details about a treaty under which Canberra will guarantee the island nation's security and have a say on its defense relationships with other countries.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong is on a two-day visit to Tuvalu as her country pushes to deepen ties with the remote nation and its Pacific neighbors amid China's drive to increase its influence in the region.
Tuvalu and Australia in November signed the Falepili Union Treaty, a tentative deal covering security, migration and climate change. The treaty, which is yet to be ratified by the countries' respective parliaments, sets out plans for a special visa class to allow up to 280 Tuvaluans to work, study and live in Australia each year.
It would also mean Australia, if asked, must send assistance in response to a natural disaster, public health emergency or if Tuvalu faces military aggression.
Some Tuvalu lawmakers criticized the agreement ahead of an election in January, which saw then-Prime Minister Kausea Natano lose his seat. They said the deal was reached without proper consultation.
In a March interview with Radio New Zealand, new Prime Minister Feleti Teo argued that the wording around security, which says Tuvalu shall “mutually agree” with Australia on any defense partnerships, had “given the appearance” of his country “conceding its sovereign right to decide.” Teo, however, also noted that the full document includes safeguards and assurances.
He said his administration is working to educate citizens on the agreement. As part of these efforts, Teo and Wong on Thursday released an explanatory memorandum laying out their joint understanding of the treaty.
