Nuku'alofa, Tonga: An informal conversation between Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and veteran US diplomat Kurt Campbell was inadvertently recorded, creating a buzz at a regional summit on Thursday.
Nuku'alofa, Tonga: An informal conversation between Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and veteran US diplomat Kurt Campbell was inadvertently recorded, creating a buzz at a regional summit on Thursday.
Nuku'alofa, Tonga: An informal conversation between Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and veteran US diplomat Kurt Campbell was inadvertently recorded, creating a buzz at a regional summit on Thursday. The exchange, centered around a controversial Pacific policing initiative, was caught on tape, leaving officials in an uncomfortable spotlight.
Prime Minister Albanese and Deputy Secretary of State Campbell were overheard discussing a newly struck deal at the Pacific Islands Forum in Tonga. This deal involves establishing a police training center and a crisis response unit of approximately 200 personnel, intended to counterbalance similar Chinese-led initiatives in the region.
“We had a cracker,” Albanese exclaimed to Campbell, celebrating the agreement while holding a coffee cup. “It will make such a difference,” he added with enthusiasm.
Campbell described the agreement as “fantastic” and revealed that Washington had contemplated a similar project before deciding to let Australia take the lead. “We’ve given you the whole lane, so take the lane,” Campbell told Albanese, in a moment captured by a reporter.
Albanese, seizing the opportunity for a bit of humor, suggested that Washington could share the financial burden: “You can go halves on the cost if you like.” He jested, “It would only cost you a bit.”
Australia has allocated US$271 million for the project's initial phase.
The conversation is likely to fuel recurring Chinese criticisms that Australia is merely following American directives in the region. Sydney has attempted to frame the police initiative as originating from the Pacific Islands, despite Australia's significant financial contribution and its role in hosting the training facility in Brisbane.
When questioned later about the candid exchange, Albanese dismissed concerns, insisting that the initiative was Pacific-led. “This has come from the Pacific. And I’m aware of the video of a private conversation. Kurt Campbell’s a mate of mine; it’s just us having a chat,” he asserted.
“People who try to read too much into it must be pretty bored,” he added. “It is Pacific-led; this has been spearheaded by police ministers who have been discussing this for a year.”
China’s Pacific allies, particularly Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands, have expressed worries that the policing plan might be a “geo-strategic denial security doctrine” aimed at excluding Beijing. Despite attempts to secure a regional security pact in 2022, China has since been enhancing under-resourced Pacific police forces with martial arts training and Chinese-made vehicles.
While all forum members have agreed to the deal in principle, national leaders will need to determine their level of involvement, if any.
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