Australia, Vanuatu sign pact barring foreign military bases

Melbourne,UPDATED: Jun 29, 2026 12:18 IST

Australia and Vanuatu on Monday signed a long-delayed bilateral security and economic treaty that bars any foreign military base in the Pacific island nation and sets rules around cooperation on critical infrastructure. The agreement, signed in Canberra by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Vanuatu Prime Minister Jotham Napat, comes as Australia moves to limit China’s security influence in the region.

The so-called Nakamal Agreement was signed nine months after Vanuatu rejected an earlier draft over concerns that it could restrict the country’s ability to attract infrastructure investment. Under the new deal, Vanuatu will consult Australia when considering third-party involvement in critical infrastructure, but Australia will not have a veto, unlike in the original proposal.

Albanese said, “Our agreement reflects and confirms Australia’s role as Vanuatu’s largest and most comprehensive economic, security and development partner, a responsibility that we take seriously.” Napat said the pact “reaffirms our shared commitment to continuing and strengthening the comprehensive partnership between our two countries, founded on mutual respect, trust and our common vision for a peaceful, stable and prosperous Pacific.”

According to a government statement, Vanuatu will not allow any foreign military base or infrastructure on its territory and will keep its critical infrastructure free from militarisation, foreign interference or unauthorised access. Vanuatu also committed to prioritise policing cooperation with Pacific Islands Forum members, which include Australia, though the agreement does not exclude Chinese police. China does not have a permanent police presence in Vanuatu, but Chinese police personnel often visit the country.

Under the agreement, Vanuatu will also turn first to Australia, New Zealand and France in the event of major natural disasters. Australia had originally proposed providing Vanuatu with 500 million Australian dollars over a decade under the earlier draft, and Albanese said the cost of the latest agreement would be made public by December.

Napat said a separate bilateral agreement that Vanuatu is negotiating with China would be made public once it had “clearance from Beijing”. He has earlier described the so-called Namele Agreement with China as a “comprehensive development cooperation” deal and said it was not a security pact. “Currently, it’s not yet signed. We will share the (Namele) agreement. There is nothing to hide. Our government is transparent and I am so grateful that the Prime Minister (Albanese) has also given me the clearance to share with them (China) the Nakamal Agreement,” Napat said. China has provided Vanuatu with large loans and aid for buildings, wharves and other infrastructure.

The signing of the Nakamal Agreement ends months of uncertainty after an earlier draft was rejected just hours before Albanese was due to fly to Vanuatu last September, while keeping in place Vanuatu’s commitments on military access, infrastructure safeguards and regional security coordination.

With PTI Inputs

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