Australia is stepping up its attempts to limit China’s influence in the Pacific, with the establishment of a new “cable connectivity and resilience centre” designed to boost connectivity for Pacific nations.
The foreign Minister, Penny Wong, will announce the centre while in Japan for the Quad foreign ministers’ meeting alongside counterparts from the United States, Japan and India.
The centre, to which Australia has committed $18m over the next four years, will provide technical assistance and training across the Indo-Pacific, assist Pacific island governments regulate the undersea cables and “share information and host dialogues” to strengthen engagement between Indo-Pacific governments and industry.
Wong said in a statement the centre is an important demonstration of the Quad’s delivery in the region, “responding to the Indo-Pacific’s most pressing challenges”.
The centre will be staffed by Australian government public servants who will be tasked with providing advice and assistance to individual Pacific nations.
Much has been made by the Quad leaders of the contested nature of the Indo-Pacific, with the four countries united in their agreement China should be denied a stronger foothold in the region. A renewed focus on providing the infrastructure and assistance Pacific nations need has been seen as critical in preventing China from establishing a stronger presence in the region.
Underwater sea cables connect the island nations, and in some cases, those connections extend to Australia as the closest major developed landmass.
The Chinese government had been eyeing projects in the region, stepping in to narrow some of the connectivity divides experienced in nations such as Nauru and Fiji, and in 2022 pursued a Pacific-wide deal which included communications. Restoring Australia as the “partner of choice” for Pacific nations was one of the first identified priorities of the Albanese government.
The latest announcement follows a renewed push by the US and Australia to strategically freeze China out of the Pacific. In late 2023, the two allies announced plans for Google and Microsoft to build new trans-Pacific cables as part of the south Pacific Connect initiative, which blocked the Chinese owned Huawei firm from establishing its own cables.
The US-Australia agreement will see cabled internet connect parts of the Indo-Pacific region with the US and Australia. The cables are seen as a strategic advantage in an area the US and, by extension, Australia are attempting to maintain defensive and strategic control over.
