Australia has pledged to offer residency to people affected by climate change in the low-lying Pacific nation of Tuvalu, as part of a sweeping new treaty that also locks the two countries into close security ties.
According to reports, the treaty explicitly recognises the vulnerability of Tuvalu to rising sea levels, at a time when many Pacific leaders are pressing Australia to take stronger action against its fossil fuel sector
Tuvalu is a country of nine low-lying islands in the central Pacific, about halfway between Australia and Hawaii, with a population of about 11,200.
Australia is expected to offer up to 280 people access to permanent residency each year, but it has also promised to help the citizens of Tuvalu “stay in their homes with safety and dignity”. The Australian prime minister, Anthony Albanese, said that the deal would also cement his country’s status as Tuvalu’s “security partner of choice” by offering it a form of security guarantee.
Among other things, the new treaty, which was announced on Friday, states that Australia will act on requests from its partner to respond to major natural disasters, pandemics or “military aggression against Tuvalu”.
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In return for this security guarantee, Tuvalu is expected to “mutually agree with Australia” if it wants to strike a deal with any other country on security and defence-related matters. These topics are defined broadly to include “defence, policing, border protection, cybersecurity and critical infrastructure, including ports, telecommunications and energy infrastructure” – all of which are of interest to China.
Australia’s military could be granted access and have a presence within the country if such activities are deemed necessary to provide assistance that had been requested by the Pacific country.
The deal will be seen as a strategic win for the Australian government at a time when China has been vigorously pursuing closer ties with Pacific island countries.
Story was adapted from the Guardian.
