Vanuatu minister contradicts own government on China police withdrawal
Vanuatu's Internal Affairs Minister contradicts his government's joint statement with Australia by saying there are no plans to cut China's police presence.
Vanuatu's government issued a joint statement with Australia. China's police assistance program was time-limited and expected to reduce over time.
Internal Affairs Minister Andrew Napuat contradicted this. He said Vanuatu has not decided to cut Chinese police numbers.
Napuat recently renewed police cooperation with Beijing. He said Vanuatu still needs policing help from China and other partners.
He said Vanuatu hopes to eventually phase out all advisers. This includes the Australian Federal Police.
But this would only happen when the country decided. It would not happen because of any agreement.
An Australian government source said Napuat's position was very different. It differed from statements made by Vanuatu's Deputy Prime Minister in Canberra the previous week.
- Andrew Napuat
- Internal Affairs Minister
- Jotham Napat
- Prime Minister
- Nakamal Agreement
- Agreement
- Last month
- Recent Beijing visit
Why it mattersAustralia and Pacific nations compete for influence in the region. Conflicting signals from Vanuatu show how tricky that balance is.
AustraliaThis signals confusion in Australian-Vanuatu relations and China's growing role in Pacific policing, affecting Australia's regional strategy.
✓ Claims checked against the source. checked 1 h ago
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