Vanuatu moves to sign police deal with China

Vanuatu announced it will sign a new police and security agreement with China, Vanuatu Daily Post reported on Tuesday.

Vanuatu's Interior Minister Andrew Solomon Napuat said he met with China's Minister of Public Security Wang Xiaohong in Beijing last Friday.

He added that China will donate police equipment, including INTERPOL systems, 20 motorcycles, 20 drones, and other gear worth more than 3 million yuan (nearly $422.000) to his country's Police Force.

Vanuatu has been participating in the Ministerial Dialogue in China over the past three years, along with the other Pacific Island countries.

Two countries are also seeking a policing deal that will "better coordinate and manage different areas of partnership in the policing sector with all of our partners," Napuat said.

Vanuatu has similar policing agreements with Australia, New Zealand, France, and the UK.

Earlier this month, Vanuatu delayed signing of a security and development agreement with Australia over Chinese funding concerns.

In response to Napuat's comments, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told a news conference in Beijing that "China carries out cooperation with Vanuatu on the basis of mutual respect, equal footed consultation, openness, and inclusiveness."

"China will continue to work with Vanuatu according to its will and the needs to do what we can to influence friendly cooperation in various areas for the benefits of the two Peoples," Guo added, without disclosing the details of the deal.

Solomon Islands was the first Pacific nation to sign a security deal with China in 2022.