Australia enters new alliance with Fiji, and more Pacific nations could join

Australia and Fiji have struck a new defence alliance, on top of the "Vuvale Union" security and development pact, in a major development which could reshape the Pacific's strategic landscape.

Prime ministers Anthony Albanese and Sitiveni Rabuka have signed the Vuvale Union as well as the Ocean of Peace Alliance in a ceremony in Fiji's capital, Suva.

The treaty would be backed by Australian government spending of more than $1 billion over a decade on measures against transnational crime, as well as education, health and infrastructure in Fiji, Mr Albanese said.

"The significance of this agreement cannot be underestimated for what it means for our two great nations, and we are both stronger because of it," Mr Albanese said at a press conference in Fiji.

"The Ocean of Peace Alliance introduces a mutual defence obligation and there's no higher obligation than to come to each other's aid at a time of need."

Under the Ocean of Peace treaty, the countries will consult on whether any measures should be taken in relation to a "security-related development that threatens the sovereignty, peace or stability" of either party.

Fiji leader Mr Rabuka said the agreement was a "very significant elevation" of the relationship and gave a "practical expression" to the commitment of both nations to regional rules.

"This is a clear affirmation of Australia's sustained commitment to the stability, resilience and prosperity of the Blue Pacific region at a time of global uncertainty," he said.

The Ocean of Peace treaty contains an article on mutual defence, saying each party recognised that an armed attack on either country within the Pacific "would be dangerous to each other's peace and security" and that each "would act to meet the common danger, in accordance with its domestic processes".

It is also open for other Pacific nations to join the alliance if they are "in a position to further the purposes and principles of this treaty and to contribute to the security of the Pacific".

The ABC has been told that in the first instance Australia would likely only look to extend the treaty to Pacific nations which maintain a standing military — New Zealand, PNG and Tonga.

But Mr Rabuka said he was sure that other Pacific leaders were waiting to join the alliance.

"The more, the stronger, the better," he told journalists.

A spokesperson for New Zealand's Foreign Ministry said the government "welcomed" the alliance.

"New Zealand already shares a close bond with Fiji, and an existing military alliance with Australia. We will continue to work with both countries on realising our Blue Pacific as an Ocean of Peace," they said.

"As agreed by Pacific leaders, Pacific security should be led by the Pacific. The alliance reinforces this."

China has sharply criticised some of Australia's recent strategic pacts, accusing Canberra of using them as a "geopolitical tool" to box it out of the Pacific.

But Mr Rabuka said he didn't believe that either Australia or Fiji would have to deal with "severe pushback" from China.

"I believe that they will welcome the understanding that is between Australia and Fiji," he said.

"It is not threatening Fiji's relationship with China nor Australia's relationship with China."

Treaty involves 'expandable alliance'

Pacific security expert at Massey University in New Zealand, Anna Powles, said Beijing would likely see the new alliance as a "form of strategic containment and it would be correct that Australia's deliberate building of a hub-and-spokes model in the Pacific reflects Canberra's concerns about the geopolitical shifts in the Pacific".

She also said the pact "opens the door for a wider Pacific security coalition".

"This is as much about geopolitics as it is about the Pacific regional order — in fact the deeper story may be institutional," she said.

"If Australia and Fiji have created an expandable alliance under the Ocean of Peace banner, this could represent the most significant innovation in Pacific security architecture since the Boe Declaration, shifting the region from a collection of bilateral agreements towards a networked, Pacific-centred security framework."

After signing the new treaty in Fiji, Mr Albanese will make a lightning quick stop in Solomon Islands tomorrow to attend the country's Independence Day celebrations, and hold a brief meeting with its Prime Minister Matthew Wale.

Last month Australia and Solomon Islands announced they would kickstart negotiations on a new treaty, as the government continues to wage a fierce battle with China for influence in the Pacific nation.

The two leaders are also likely to discuss Mr Wale's push for a regional security pact as the Solomon Islands prime minister continues to press the case for the idea.

On Wednesday, Mr Albanese will meet PNG Prime Minister James Marape and Tonga's prime minister, Lord Fakafanua, in Brisbane.

Mr Albanese and Mr Marape are expected to celebrate the Pukpuk Treaty between the two countries entering into force, nine months after it was signed.

All three leaders are also expected to sign agreements laying out how they will spend about $200 million allocated for grassroots rugby league in the region under the PNG NRL deal, before watching Wednesday night's State of Origin decider at Lang Park.

The burst of diplomacy comes as the federal government continues to pour huge energy, and substantial resources, into its "permanent contest" with China in the Pacific.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Australia was "working hard to make transformational breakthroughs" in the Pacific, which the senator said would "shape a peaceful, stable and prosperous region".

After his bout of Pacific diplomacy, Mr Albanese will meet his Indian counterpart in Melbourne.

The two countries are set to sign agreements to bolster defence and security cooperation, as well as finalise arrangements designed to facilitate uranium exports from Australia to India, an issue which has previously stirred domestic political controversy in Australia.

New Delhi has flagged it wants to diversify supplies in order to support its expanding nuclear power program.

Mr Albanese is also set to join Mr Modi at a massive gathering of the Australian Indian community, which is set to draw thousands of people to Marvel Stadium in Melbourne.

Yesterday, the Australian Federal Police declined to confirm reports that it was investigating an apparent online death threat against Mr Modi on social media connected to the event.

An Australian government spokesperson said it "places the highest priority on protecting the safety and security of visiting dignitaries" and that "threats towards high-level visitors will be subject to investigation by relevant law enforcement agencies".