Vanuatu’s citizenship-by-investment scheme, launched in 2017, allows foreigners to buy a Vanuatu passport for US$130,000 with very few restrictions.

Smaller Pacific nations were being asked to make "choices that may undermine their national sovereignty," he said, in a clear reference to Beijing's bilateral agreements with Fiji, PNG, Samoa, Tonga, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Kiribati and, most recently

Vanuatu would have to adhere to a set of rigid trade rules including sustainable development initiatives as part of WTO membership.

The program will see more HPV vaccination programs to prevent cervical cancer across the Pacific in countries such as Papua New Guinea, East Timor, Vanuatu, and Fiji.

The Pacific Islands Forum—a regional bloc of 18 members including Kiribati, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu—declared its combined maritime zone, known as the Blue Pacific Continent, nuclear-free decades ago after signing

(Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/Pool/AFP via Getty Images) Vanuatu is a new state made independent in 1980 after being a French and British-governed territory.

“The vessel departed from Vanuatu and was bound for Cairns (Australia) when contact was established. Both hulls of the vessel have been damaged following several shark attacks,” the AMSA said in a statement.

Samson Vilvil Fare, the high commissioner for Vanuatu, also spoke in support of easing Australia's visa requirements on Pacific Island visitors.

Similar outreach has been documented in Kiribati, Vanuatu, and Papua New Guinea. In January 2024, China further expanded its diplomatic footprint by reestablishing relations with Nauru, which officially switched its recognition from Taiwan to China.

Military Australia Bans TikTok on Government Devices U.S. to Open Embassy in South Pacific's Vanuatu Expert: China's Economic Recovery Uncertain

(Photo by SAM PEDRO/AFP via Getty Images) Tuvalu and Vanuatu have led the campaign for a fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty, committing signatories to ending the expansion of oil, gas, and coal exploration.

Meanwhile, Vanuatu has continued to experience one constitutional crisis after another with current President Nikenike Vurobaravu rejecting a request to dissolve Parliament.

Petersburg, Russia, on July 1, 2021, and had been sailing from Vanuatu to Cairns when they got into trouble.

The disease is most prevalent in tropical and subtropical regions, and remains a significant health concern in some parts of the South Pacific, particularly in countries like Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and parts of the Federated States

Figures released under Freedom of Information laws show the Ambassador made four trips to the United States, two to Switzerland, and one to each of Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea.

In 2022, such transfers amounted to 44 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Tonga, 34 percent in Samoa, and 15 percent in Vanuatu.

The Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and Fiji are all of great importance to the CCP and its future ambitions, he says, and its interest in the Pacific is as a base from which to target Australia and New Zealand.

The proposal, however, faced last-minute concerns from some Pacific island nations, particularly Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands, which already have policing agreements with Beijing.

The legislation aims to set up three U.S. embassies on the Pacific island nations of Kiribati, Tonga, and Vanuatu. The bill sets aside $40.2 million for fiscal year 2023 for constructing the embassies as well as their maintenance.

5892195," image_stays="false" stays_for_paragraphs=""][/epoch_component] [epoch_component type="photo_gallery" position="left" section_title="Schoolchildren from the Suango Mele primary and secondary school, located in the village of Mele, north of the Vanuatu

The AFP alleges the yacht containing cocaine arrived in Townsville in April after sailing from Vanuatu. Australian Border Force and AFP officers impounded the vessel after an initial search.

Most Pacific nations were given the base tariff of 10 percent, with some higher, like Nauru at 30 percent and Vanuatu at 22 percent. Fiji fared worst, with a 32 percent tariff imposed on its exports to the United States.

Vanuatu earthquake: The earthquake location map on Dec. 25 at 13:16 UTC time, or 8:15am EST.

The earthquake may produce waves of up to 1 meter (3 feet) above tide levels for the Solomon Islands, the center said, and smaller waves for the coasts of Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu.

In December 2024, Lowy listed Vanuatu, along with the Marshall Islands, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tonga, and Tuvalu, as one of seven countries in the Pacific "at high risk of debt distress."

The cheaper airline also announced flights from Cairns to Christchurch, Sunshine Coast to Auckland, Sydney to Vanuatu, and Brisbane to Bangkok.

Chen was a citizen of China, Cambodia, Vanuatu, St. Lucia, and Cyprus, and he lived in Cambodia, Singapore, Taiwan, and the UK, according to the DOJ.

They ventured to some of the world’s most exotic places, like Nairobi, Kenya, the Serengeti, Vanuatu, and Borneo. The two were not only in love, but they worked well together in their adventures.

In April, the USCG hosted officials from Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, and Vanuatu on its ships.

Meanwhile, the United Kingdom, Canada, Ukraine, Italy,  Finland, Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, Fiji, and Vanuatu abstained.