As part of his tour of the Pacific, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has signed a significant defence treaty with his Fijian counterpart Sitiveni Rabuka.

Called the Ocean of Peace Alliance or Veitacini Treaty, the agreement is the latest step in Australia’s efforts to sign treaties that make it the regional “hub” for its Pacific Island country partner “spokes”. It follows:

the Falepili Union with Tuvalu (2023)

the Nauru–Australia Treaty (2024)

the Pukpuk Treaty with Papua New Guinea (2025)

the Nakamal Agreement with Vanuatu (2026).

New Solomon Islands Prime Minister Matthew Wale has requested Australia negotiate a bilateral treaty (building on their 2017 treaty). Australia is also in talks to make a treaty with Tonga.

Shortly after the agreement with Fiji was signed, China conducted a long-range missile test in the Pacific Ocean. The test provoked criticism from regional leaders, and underscored the need for Pacific Island countries to collectively think through their defence and security arrangements.

There is also much to digest in the Veitacini Treaty, and its accompanying Vuvale Union, which seeks to elevate security, economic ties, and people-to-people links.

The signal, and who it’s aimed at

Like the 1951 Australia, New Zealand and United States (ANZUS) Treaty, the security guarantee created by the Veitacini Treaty is largely unenforceable.

Article 6 provides that each party would “act to meet the common danger” of an armed attack in the Pacific on any of the parties. But this comes with the caveat that this action will occur “in accordance with its domestic processes”.

That qualified undertaking is much weaker than the more definite guarantee provided in the NATO Treaty, which states an “armed attack on one” party is deemed to constitute an attack on........

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