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Salote Tagivakatini

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PhD Candidate in Politics and International Relations, Adelaide University

Mick Tsikas/AAP

July 7, 2026

Australia and Fiji sign a new defence pact as China launches a ballistic missile test in the Pacific. What does it all mean?

Joanne Wallis, Adelaide University and Salote Tagivakatini, Adelaide University

There are legitimate concerns about China. But the Australia-Fiji pact looks like “sugar-rush” diplomacy: announcements first, hard questions later.

An Australian Army soldier is watched by young boys during a community engagement patrol through Honiara, Solomon Islands, in 2021. Cpl. Brandon Grey/Australian Defence/AP

March 30, 2026

Yes, China has made inroads in the Pacific, but Australia still does far more

Joanne Wallis, Adelaide University and Salote Tagivakatini, Adelaide University

Beyond New Zealand, no other country is as embedded as Australia in the national and regional institutions of Pacific Islands countries.

Location: Adelaide, Australia
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