Janice R. Andrews
Australia announced on Wednesday that Pacific Island states have agreed to a $271 million plan to improve police training and set up a mobile regional policing unit. This plan, called the Pacific Policing Initiative, aims to make the area safer and lessen China’s impact there.
Anthony Albanese, the prime minister of Australia, said that the plan calls for building four police training centers in the Pacific and an extra hub in Brisbane, Australia. As part of this plan, a police force from multiple countries will be built up so that they can be quickly sent to any country in the area during big events or crises. At a news gathering in Tonga, where Pacific Island leaders were meeting to talk about the plan, Albanese said, “The first job of an international leader is to look out for the safety and security of our residents, and that is what this is about.”
Australia made this move because China is becoming more powerful in the Pacific. China has been a major lender for infrastructure and is now trying to play a bigger role in military and police issues. China already has police in places like Kiribati and the Solomon Islands, and it wants to reach more people through media and internet connections.
The goal of the Pacific Policing Initiative is to make Pacific countries less reliant on China for security help. China has recently received leaders from Fiji, Vanuatu, and the Solomon Islands. This shows that it can help with growth and further its security goals. Australia’s plan is a smart move to keep Pacific security in the hands of the region’s leaders, which will lead to more safety and self-reliance.
