Canberra [Australia]: Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Friday signed a bilateral agreement with Tuvalu offering residency to people affected by climate change in the Pacific island nation.
The move is aimed at countering China’s influence in the Pacific and protecting the tiny island nation from climate change. China’s influence in the Pacific has undoubtedly been growing in the past half-century, especially among low population island states.
The agreement, covers climate change, security and human mobility, with Albanese claiming that it made Tuvalu, Australia’s “partner of choice”, CNN reported.
“The Australia-Tuvalu Falepili union will be regarded as a significant day in which Australia acknowledged that we are part of the Pacific family,” Albanese told a news conference in the Cook Islands where he is attending a meeting of Pacific leaders.
Under the agreement a total of 280 of Tuvalu’s citizens could receive a special visa to come to Australia. Under the visa, they will have permission to study, work or live in Australia.
Funds will also be provided for land reclamation in Tuvalu to expand land in the capital Funafuti by around 6 per cent.
In a nod to China’s growing presence in the region, the agreement also requires parties to consult before signing security or defence agreements with third parties, CNN reported.
China has made increasing moves into the Pacific and its island countries, whilst Tuvalu is one of just 13 nations to maintain an official diplomatic relationship with Taiwan.
Albanese said, Australia will also provide security support if Tuvalu requests it.
The Sydney Morning Herald reported earlier on Friday that all 11,200 residents of Tuvalu would be offered refuge in Australia if climate change made the country uninhabitable, reports CNN.
The government press release following the treaty signing made no mention of mass climate asylum and the full text of the agreement has not been released, however.
Tuvalu, a collection of nine low-lying islands mid-way between Australia and Hawaii, is one of the world’s most at-risk countries from climate change and has long drawn international attention to the issue, CNN has reported.
Tuvalu appeared at legal hearings at an international court in Germany, earlier this year, they sought an advisory opinion on the obligations of countries to combat climate change.
Former Tuvalu Foreign Minister Simon Kofe told the COP27 climate summit last year Tuvalu plans to build a digital version of itself, replicating islands and landmarks and preserving its history and culture, in case rising sea levels do make the islands inhospitable, reported CNN.
