New Zealand and Papua New Guinea signed a defense agreement in Port Moresby on July 22, expanding maritime surveillance and military exercises. Analysts link this to concerns about China's growing security ties in the Pacific.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese signed a new defence alliance with Fiji to counter China's influence in the Pacific. He will also host leaders from Papua New Guinea and Tonga, while his team addresses domestic criticism over comments about Kylie Minogue.
Australia and Fiji signed the 'Ocean of Peace Alliance' defence treaty and the 'Vuvale Union' economic treaty, with Australia investing over A$1 billion in Fiji over a decade. The agreements aim to bolster security and economic ties, countering Chinese influence in the South Pacific.
China has conducted a long-range missile test in the Pacific, which Australia's foreign minister Penny Wong has condemned as "destabilising to the region" and "lacking in transparency". The test missile, carrying a dummy warhead, landed in designated waters and was described by China as a "routine arrangement" of military training.
Australia and Fiji have elevated their security ties to a formal treaty alliance with the signing of the Ocean of Peace Alliance. The agreement, open to other Pacific nations, aims to bolster regional prosperity and security and counter China's growing influence in the Pacific.
Australia signed the 'Ocean of Peace' defence alliance with Fiji on Monday, elevating Fiji to treaty ally status and committing to mutual defence. This move strengthens Australia's regional ties amid competition with China, which previously signed a security pact with the Solomon Islands.
US announces withdrawal of roughly 5,000 troops from Germany over next year, drawing criticism from NATO allies and Republican lawmakers who warn it risks undermining deterrence and sending wrong signal to Putin. Polish PM Tusk says transatlantic alliance risks disintegrating.
NATO is considering ending its practice of holding annual summits, six sources told Reuters. The move could avoid a tense encounter with President Trump in his final year in office, as his administration has repeatedly criticized many of the alliance's 31 other members, most recently for not providing more help to US military operations against Iran. This year's summit is scheduled for Ankara on July 7-8, with the 2027 summit in Albania and potential no summit in 2028.
