Australia and Vanuatu sign delayed security pact barring foreign military bases

Signing after months of delay

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Vanuatu Prime Minister Jotham Napat signed the Nakamal Agreement in Canberra on Monday, finalising a development and security pact that had been postponed since September 2025. The ceremony capped ten months of negotiations that at times strained the bilateral relationship.

This is a historic day for relations between our two countries.

The agreement explicitly bars any foreign military base or infrastructure on Vanuatu's territory and commits the island nation to keeping its critical infrastructure free from militarisation. Australia is recognised as Vanuatu's preferred security and policing partner, and Canberra will be consulted on any third-party investment in Vanuatu's critical infrastructure.

What the revised deal contains

The signed text is a softened version of an earlier draft. According to Australian broadcaster ABC, clauses that would have sharply limited Chinese investment in ports, airports and telecommunications were removed after Vanuatu's cabinet raised sovereignty concerns last year. The final agreement gives Australia no veto over foreign infrastructure projects, but Vanuatu pledges to consult Canberra when third countries seek involvement.

We have in fact passed an act in parliament not to allow any militarization to actually be used for our critical infrastructure.

Vanuatu retains the right to pursue policing cooperation with China, a point that Napat emphasised. Beijing has provided policing assistance to Vanuatu since 2023, including equipment and training.

China's footprint and Vanuatu's balancing act

China is Vanuatu's largest external creditor, having financed the presidential office complex, parliament building and road network through Chinese bank loans and contractors. While the Nakamal Agreement is widely seen as a move to check Beijing's security ambitions in the Pacific, Vanuatu is simultaneously negotiating a separate economic deal with China. Napat said on Monday that the draft is awaiting approval from Beijing and promised transparency.

We will share the agreement; there is nothing to hide.

Financial and policing commitments

Australia has pledged A$500 million (US$344.5 million) over ten years under the pact. The deal also deepens policing ties: Australia is designated Vanuatu's "longstanding primary policing partner," and the two countries will enhance cooperation on police training, maritime security, cyber security and intelligence. Vanuatu will prioritise policing requests to other Pacific Islands Forum members.

Regional rivalry in the Pacific

The Nakamal Agreement is the latest in a series of security pacts Australia has signed with Pacific island nations amid intensifying competition between China and US allies for influence in the region. Albanese framed the deal as reinforcing the principle that security is a shared responsibility of the "Pacific family."