PM heads to Vanuatu and Fiji for bilateral talks

The Prime Minister is looking to strengthen Australia’s economic and security ties with the Pacific as he heads to Vanuatu and Fiji for bilateral talks. Scott Morrison’s visit is set to mark the completion of a joint urban development project in Port Vila, where he will also announce $500,000 in funding to be allocated for a new police station on Malekula Island. The last visit to Vanuatu by an Australian Prime Minister was for a Pacific Island’s Forum in 1990, while Fiji hasn’t received a visit in over a decade. The timing of Mr Morrison’s visit comes amid concerns of China’s rising influence in the region, with ANU’s Dr Stewart Firth telling Sky News Australia has a ‘fair bit of catching up to do’ with the Asian nation in the Pacific. Image: News Corp Australia