First submission 09-07 22:05
Update time 09-08 06:58
The Pacific island nation of Naoero (formerly known as Nauru). (AFP)
[Financial Channel/Comprehensive Report] The Pacific island country Naoero (formerly known as Nauru) severed diplomatic relations with Taiwan and established diplomatic relations with China in 2024. At that time, our Ministry of Foreign Affairs even revealed that Naoero had asked for huge amounts of economic aid from Taiwan, and even "compare prices" with aid packages proposed by Taiwan and China. However, more than two years after diplomacy turned to Beijing, the real "big donor" who has been providing huge resources behind the scenes for a long time is someone else. The Australian government recently released a complete agreement that it had refused to disclose in the past, revealing a long-term resettlement arrangement worth A$2.5 billion (approximately NT$57 billion) between the two parties.
Australian media "Crikey" reported on the 7th that the Anthony Albanese government changed its previous stance of secrecy and disclosed the complete memorandum of cooperation (MOU) signed between Australia and Nuero. This agreement involves the so-called "Third Country Reception Arrangement", which is mainly used to resettle some non-citizens in Australia who cannot be repatriated. The two parties signed it as early as August 29, 2025, but the complete content has not been made public before.
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The Australian government had even previously refused to make it public on the grounds that it might harm international relations. The latest documents show that the Australian Minister of Home Affairs still advocated the "public interest exemption" on August 3 this year, believing that the disclosure of the MOU might harm Australia's international relations and was not in the public interest. However, the government has recently re-evaluated its attitude and decided that the public interest has tilted towards disclosure, so the complete document was handed over to Congress. "Crikey" also pointed out that it is understood that the final exposure of the MOU was related to court proceedings.
This "30-year golden vein" is not small in scale. The financial structure previously disclosed by the Australian Congress shows that the agreement involves 408 million Australian dollars (approximately NT$9.26 billion) in the first year, of which 388 million Australian dollars (approximately NT$8.8 billion) will be injected into a trust fund jointly managed by both parties. After that, approximately 70 million Australian dollars (approximately NT$1.6 billion) will be paid annually, and the potential total cost in 30 years is approximately 2.508 billion Australian dollars (approximately NT$57.1 billion). However, this money is not a one-time unconditional financial aid. The actual payment is still related to conditions such as the number of resettlement people, and there is a mechanism to recover the money under specific circumstances.
The disclosure of the complete MOU also brings the placement terms that have not been fully disclosed in the past into the light. The agreement stipulates that Nauero must allow the resettled persons the right to work and free movement within the country, and provide appropriate accommodation, transportation, medical services and reasonable living allowances. Unless the person concerned may pose a "serious and immediate risk" to Nauero's public health or national security, he or she will not be refused admission on the basis of age, past criminal record, health status, etc.; those who are resettled will receive a long-term residence visa of at least 30 years. If a dispute arises between the two parties, it cannot be submitted to any domestic or international court or third party for adjudication. It can only be resolved through negotiation between the two governments.
It is worth noting that more than two years after Nauero abandoned Taiwan and turned to Beijing, Australia is still the most important external economic partner of this Pacific island country. Information from the Australian Ministry of Foreign Affairs clearly states that Australia is Nauero’s largest bilateral donor and its largest trade, investment, security and development assistance partner.
From long-term aid, economic governance, infrastructure, to today's resettlement arrangements with a scale of up to 2.5 billion Australian dollars, although Nauero has turned to Beijing diplomatically, Australia still plays an irreplaceable role in its economy and public system. Now that the complete MOU has been exposed, this "golden vein" spanning decades has become clearer.
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