Narco-subs and ballistic missiles: PM’s Pacific trip a swirl of geopolitical turmoil

August 31, 2026 — 11:37am

You have reached your maximum number of saved items.

Remove items from your saved list to add more.

Whatever mistakes Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is guilty of, neglecting the Pacific is not one of them. The PM has travelled widely throughout the region and landed significant security agreements with Tuvalu, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu and Fiji.

Even as he copped domestic criticism for his overseas travel, Albanese has shown the region respect by attending every Pacific Islands Forum leaders meeting – something few of his predecessors can boast.

Albanese is again attending the Pacific Islands Forum, held this week in the spectacular Micronesian nation of Palau, one of the smallest and least populated countries in the world. However, in a major blow to the host nation, at least six leaders from the group’s 18 nations are set to skip the event. With a third of the region’s leaders absent, the legitimacy of its policy decisions and declarations could be called into question.

Most significantly, the outgoing chairman, Solomon Islands Prime Minister Matthew Wale, was forced to suddenly jet back to Honiara over the weekend after being handed a no-confidence........

© The Sydney Morning Herald