Vanuatu Prime Minister Visits Huawei, Views Policing Technology – By Kirsty Needham

Vanuatu Prime Minister Charlot Salwai recently visited technology giant Huawei in Shenzhen, where he had the opportunity to view surveillance technology aimed at enhancing policing and reducing criminal activity. This visit comes as Salwai travels to China before attending a Pacific Island leaders meeting in Japan next week.

China is a significant player in Vanuatu, being the country’s largest external creditor and a major infrastructure provider. However, Australia, Vanuatu’s biggest aid donor and policing partner, has expressed concerns over China’s security ambitions in the Pacific Islands region. This unease stems from Beijing’s previous agreements with Vanuatu and Solomon Islands regarding policing equipment and security pacts.

Huawei has been instrumental in providing digital systems to cities like Port Vila, the capital of Vanuatu, with the aim of reducing criminal activity. The Vanuatu government stated that the police surveillance system requires a data center within the country. Despite this, a spokesman from the Vanuatu prime minister’s office clarified that the Vanuatu police currently do not utilize the Huawei surveillance system.

Australia, on the other hand, has taken a firm stance against Huawei, barring the company from participating in its 5G network on national security grounds. The country has also heavily invested in funding subsea telecommunications cables to Pacific Islands nations to counter Huawei’s competing offers.

As tensions between Australia and China continue to rise, with Canberra citing national security concerns, the issue of technological partnerships and security measures in the Pacific Islands region remains a topic of contention.