Prime minister Malcolm Turnbull said he had been advised there had been no request from China for Vanuatu to host a naval base. The head of Australia’s government insists on that Pacific be maintained as a peaceful region, 9News reported.
While Australian PM defends Pacific’s right to be a peaceful region, the government of Vanuatu has angrily denied it is in talks with Beijing about a Chinese military base being built in the Pacific country.
“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,”
foreign minister Ralph Regenvanu told on Tuesday and added that there had been no preliminary discussions. According to Fairfax media in Australia, there have been reports that China has discussed with Vanuatu using the new 360-metre wharf at Luganville as a naval base.
PM Turnbull isn’t happy with any naval base in Pacific region
PM Turnbull stressed in his speech that Vanuatu always was crucial for maintaining peace in the region, so, for Pacific countries, the establishment of any foreign naval bases will be a great concern. According to the head of Australian government, the investment in economic and social infrastructure brings more advantages rather the military bases.
Despite this, Mr Regenvanu said he is not very happy about the standard of reporting in the Australia media,
“I would hope the upsurge in the paranoia about China in Australia is not used to destroy or denigrate the good relationship Vanuatu has with Australia,”
foreign minister Ralph Regenvanu explained.
