Vanuatu Denies Report Of Allowing Chinese Base

Vanuatu insisted on Tuesday it had no plans to allow China to set up a military base on its territory after a report suggesting Beijing was pushing the proposal sparked concern in Australia and New Zealand.

The Sydney Morning Herald said China had approached the Pacific nation about the possibility, potentially upsetting the delicate strategic balance in the region.

The Herald, citing multiple sources, said Beijing's military ambition in Vanuatu would likely be realised incrementally, possibly beginning with an access agreement allowing Chinese naval ships to dock routinely for refuelling.

But Vanuatu Foreign Minister Ralph Regenvanu angrily rebuffed the claim. "No one in the Vanuatu government has ever talked about a Chinese military base in Vanuatu of any sort," he told ABC radio.

"We are a non-aligned country. We are not interested in militarisation, we are just not interested in any sort of military base in our country," he said.

Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, who travelled to Vanuatu last weekend with Britain's Prince Charles, said she was confident of Canberra's strong relationship with Port Vila.

"I'm not aware of a military offer being made by China to Vanuatu," she said, noting that the Vanuatu government had said to the newspaper it was not aware of such proposal.

While China has been investing in infrastructure around the world, to date it has only established one military base – in Djibouti in northern Africa.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said she had read the Herald report and "I can't comment on the validity of that".

"But what I can say is that we of course keep a watching eye on activity within the Pacific and that New Zealand is opposed to the militarisation of the Pacific generally."

Australia's Lowy Institute estimates China provided US$1.78 billion in aid, including concessional loans, to Pacific nations between 2006-16.

China has diplomatic relationships with eight Pacific island nations – the Cook Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tonga, and Vanuatu. (AFP)

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