Asia | Banyan
Australia needs to rethink its approach to its Pacific island neighbours
They care more about development than hard security
![Illustration of Australia and the pacific islands overlaid on a rugby ball and pitch](https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/content-assets/images/20240217_ASD001.jpg)
FROM AUSTRALIA’S perspective the Pacific’s island states have sat for decades in its backyard. Latterly a gate-crasher has stomped in. China has shaken Australian assumptions in the Pacific.
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This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline “Ocean promotion”
Asia February 17th 2024
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