Australia Strikes Pacific-Wide Police Deal in Setback for China
- Canberra will commit about $272 million over five years
- Pact will narrow scope for China to seal similar accords
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Australia has joined with Pacific leaders to announce a major policing initiative in order to boost coordination on domestic security, in a potential blow to China’s efforts to deepen its links in the contested region.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Wednesday that Australia would spend about A$400 million ($272 million) over five years to create the Pacific Policing Initiative. It’s designed to ensure that “the security of the entire region will be much stronger and will be looked after by ourselves,” he said in a statement.