To misquote Oscar Wilde: to fall short on one Pacific treaty may look like misfortune, but to fall short on two looks like carelessness.

Last week, Anthony Albanese left Vanuatu without finalising a landmark security pact; this week, he departed Papua New Guinea without striking a sweeping defence treaty. The plan was for both to be signed during Albanese’s visits, but neither Vanuatu nor PNG were able to close out deals that had been framed as faits accomplis.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese with his PNG counterpart, James Marape, on Wednesday.

Despite the government’s bullish rhetoric, something has clearly gone wrong behind the scenes on planning and communications for Albanese’s latest Pacific trips, fuelling expectations of imminent foreign policy triumphs that fail to materialise.

It’s a sobering – indeed, galling – reality check for Australia on the difficulties of Pacific diplomacy in an era of fierce geostrategic competition.

The prime minister can travel across the region and build relationships with his counterparts. He can pursue bold agreements and offer Australia’s economically challenged neighbours buckets of cash. That doesn’t mean he will be able to seal the deal.

The government’s previous efforts to deepen Australia’s influence in........

© The Sydney Morning Herald