And if you go down the map and you’ve got the Solomons and PNG and maybe Vanuatu, then you can cut off the Australians and the New Zealanders. It’s also a lot more difficult for Japan to come down from the north.

Digicel Pacific was founded in 2006 by Irish entrepreneur Denis O’Brien and provides communication and mobile services across Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Nauru, Samoa, Tonga, and Vanuatu—some of Australia’s closest neighbours.

The CCP's Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, embarked on an eight-nation tour of the South Pacific aimed at shoring up alliances with key leaders that have maintained ties with Beijing, including the Solomon Islands, Kiribati, Samoa, and Fiji, Tonga, Vanuatu,

"Three small Pacific economies—Tonga, Samoa, and Vanuatu—also appear to be among those most heavily indebted to China [than] anywhere in the world," the report said.

Before Ma’s administration, nine countries flipped to the PRC during the Democratic People’s Party (DPP) President Chen Shui-bian administration (2000-2008): North Macedonia (2001), Liberia (2003), Vanuatu (2004), Dominica (2004), Senegal (2005), Grenada

(Mark Schiefelbein/Pool/AFP via Getty Images) The Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and East Timor are financially more stable but still stressed.

Some common points can be found in the series of Chinese projects carried out in Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Kiribati, and Vanuatu. First, these locations are all strategically important for naval battles.

Pacific nations that have already switched recognition from Taiwan to China include Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tonga, and Vanuatu.

In 2015 Westpac sold its South Pacific banking operations, including those in Samoa, Cook Islands, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and Tonga to the Bank South Pacific (BSP) for $125 million. BSP is run by the government of Papua New Guinea.

Currently, nine Pacific countries have signed on to the BRI including Kiribati, Solomon Islands, the Cook Islands, Fiji, Vanuatu, Tonga, Niue, Samoa, and Papua New Guinea.

Over one hundred fruit pickers from the Pacific Island nation of Vanuatu will arrive in Darwin, Northern Territory on Tuesday to help ensure that Australia's mango harvest does not go to waste for the summer season.

The cyclone, which has killed dozens in the Solomon Islands before destroying buildings in Vanuatu, was expected to make its way to Tonga within days, weather forecasters said. By Byron Kaye

October, the Australian government and major telecommunications firm, Telstra, pulled the trigger on an AU$2.1 billion (US$1.6 billion) acquisition of South Pacific mobile business Digicel, which is the main carrier for Papua New Guinea, Nauru, Samoa, Vanuatu

Data from British analytics company Airfinity in late July per CNN showed that the CCP has so far donated 270,000 vaccines to the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, and Vanuatu—less than half the amount donated by Australia.

Countries including El Salvador, Mongolia, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu have adopted travel curbs for arrivals who have visited Taiwan, while the island's largest airline is covered by an Italian ban on flights from China.

“The impacts of the pandemic were not made any easier by the devastation of Tropical Cyclone Harold and the Australian Defence Force was proud to work with Fiji and Vanuatu in their humanitarian and disaster relief responses," ADF chief General Angus

After years of the regime’s outright economic and political bullying of U.S. ally Australia, expanding its penetration of some of the weaker island states like Tonga, Fiji, and Vanuatu, and using its economic power to build influence in New Zealand, there

Countries with less than a million people that have reported no cases include Vanuatu, Tonga, Tuvalu, the Solomon Islands, Sao Tome and Principe, Samoa, Palau, Kiribati, and Comoros.

Vanuatu. (Courtesy of Airbnb) 14. Vanuatu Year-over-year increase: 140 percent One of the most stunning island archipelagos in the South Pacific, it’s easy to see why Vanuatu would be a popular travel destination.

(Sam Yeh/AFP/Getty Images) The CCP has been courting the Pacific Island nations, successfully flipping Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tonga, and Vanuatu.

In August, the federal and northern territory governments launched a pilot seasonal workers program, which has enabled 163 workers from Vanuatu to enter the territory to harvest mangoes.

Chinese government sources have quite openly admitted that they could pull their target people back from places like Vanuatu and even New Caledonia without much difficulty.

Currently, Beijing has signed up nine Pacific countries to the BRI including Kiribati, Solomon Islands, the Cook Islands, Fiji, Vanuatu, Tonga, Niue, Samoa, and Papua New Guinea.

The Pacific Island states of Tonga, Samoa, and Vanuatu, “appear to be among those most heavily indebted to China anywhere in the world,” the report stated. The regime also intends to exert some military influence through OBOR.

"Tsunami waves reaching 1 to 3 meters (3 to 10 feet) above the tide level are possible along some coasts of New Caledonia and Vanuatu," according to the warning.

The scheme allows men and women from Kiribati, Nauru, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu and Vanuatu aged between 21-45 years old to work in Australia for up to three years.

Eager to smooth ties, Morrison is expected to meet Vanuatu Prime Minister Charlot Salwai, Cook Islands Prime Minister Henry Puna and Tuvalu Prime Minister Enele Sopoaga on the sidelines of the forum.

Early last year, Beijing also donated 14 military vehicles to Vanuatu.

Meanwhile, Catherine Ebert-Gray, U.S ambassador to Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu, met with Sogavare on  Sept. 10 to discuss U.S. aid to the Solomons.