Foreign Minister Senator Penny Wong was in Fiji for the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Foreign Ministers Meeting, with regional security, climate change, economic development and digital connectivity high on the agenda.
The meeting brought together foreign ministers from the PIF’s 18 members and will help prepare for the PIF Leaders Meeting in Palau next month.
Wong said cooperation among Pacific nations was increasingly important amid global uncertainty.
“At a time of global uncertainty, it is more important than ever that Pacific countries work together to advance our shared interests, uphold Pacific priorities and strengthen the peace, stability and prosperity of our region.”
The visit comes a month after Australia and Fiji signed two major agreements in Suva — the Vuvale Union and the Ocean of Peace Alliance — which Australia says will deepen bilateral cooperation on security, resilience and economic development.
The agreements are also the first treaties to implement the Ocean of Peace Declaration endorsed by Pacific leaders in 2025.
During Wong’s visit, the Australian Government announced what it described as a major regional milestone: all 18 PIF members are now connected to undersea telecommunications cable networks.
Australia says it has helped deliver more than 10,300 kilometres of new undersea cables across the Pacific, with more than $500 million committed since 2018 to support undersea cable connectivity across the Pacific and Timor-Leste.
The investment has supported projects across nine countries, including primary cable connections for Nauru, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tuvalu, Kiribati and Kosrae in the Federated States of Micronesia.
Australia is also supporting additional international cable connections designed to improve resilience in Tonga, Papua New Guinea, Palau and Solomon Islands.
The projects are being delivered in partnership with Japan, New Zealand and the United States, as well as Taiwan.
Wong said digital connectivity was becoming increasingly important to the region’s economic and social development.
“For the first time, every Pacific Islands Forum member now has access to the digital infrastructure needed to participate fully in the modern economy, backed in with Australian support,” Wong said.
“A more connected Pacific is a more resilient Pacific. This infrastructure strengthens economic growth, supports essential services and will help underpin a more peaceful, stable and prosperous region.”
Pacific Island Affairs Minister Pat Conroy said improved connectivity would help integrate regional economies and create new opportunities for businesses and communities.
“Faster, more affordable and more reliable digital services will help integrate our economies, making it easier for Pacific peoples and businesses to connect, and investment to flow across the region,” Conroy said.
“With new connections comes greater opportunities, better information flows and knowledge sharing, supporting Pacific Island countries to fully participate in the global economy.”
Australia says the PIF Foreign Ministers Meeting will provide an opportunity to advance discussions on the region’s major priorities, including peace and security, climate change and economic development.
As a founding member of the PIF, Australia has reiterated its support for Pacific regionalism and the Forum’s role in enabling Pacific countries to determine their own priorities and future.
The latest announcements also highlight the growing importance of digital infrastructure to Australia’s engagement with the Pacific, alongside traditional areas of cooperation such as climate resilience, development, labour mobility and regional security.
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