Vanuatu minister contradicts own government on Chinese police drawdown

Vanuatu's Internal Affairs Minister Andrew Napuat says he has no plans to cut China's police presence in his country, despite his own government issuing a joint statement with Australia saying its policing cooperation program with Beijing was set to be reduced.

The joint statement, which was given a green light by both governments in the wake of a high-level meeting on the implementation of the Nakamal Agreement, stresses that China's police assistance program with Vanuatu is "time-limited and expected to reduce over time".

It also contrasted China's policing program with Australia's police assistance arrangements under the Nakamal pact, which it stresses is "legally binding" with "no expiry date".

But Andrew Napuat, who travelled to Beijing just last month to renew Vanuatu's police cooperation agreement with China, appeared to take aim at that clause, saying there was "no need to talk about a third party in any agreements".

"Our prime minister, Jotham Napat, after signing the Nakamal Agreement, already announced that Vanuatu will not take sides when it comes to its relationships, highlighting the long-standing position Vanuatu has always taken of being a friend to all and an enemy to none," he said in a statement.

"Therefore, such statements targeting one partner do not reflect our country's position on its relationships with its partners."

Mr Napuat also criticised the ABC's report on the statement, saying it suggested that Vanuatu was "targeting" China, and stressing Vanuatu still needed policing assistance from Beijing, as well as other international partners.

"At the moment, we are still building our [police] force," he said.

"That is why we are grateful to all our partners for their help. We are not in a position to phase out any partner as reported."

The minister said that in the long term, Vanuatu hoped to "slowly phase out all advisers and be able to run its own force", suggesting that Australian Federal Police (AFP) officers, as well as Chinese police, would then be asked to leave.

But he said Vanuatu had not yet decided to take this step.

"We will make that decision when we decide as a nation. We will not phase out any partner due to the conditions in any agreement," he said.

Minister's 'different' message on police 

Mr Napuat's intervention is unlikely to be welcomed by the Australian government, which sees the internal affairs minister as one of the most pro-China voices in Mr Napat's cabinet.

Last year, Mr Napuat took aim at Pat Conroy after the Australian government Pacific Island affairs minister made public comments about Vanuatu's move to renew policing agreements with Beijing.

One federal government source said Mr Napuat's message on policing was "very different" to the one conveyed by the Deputy Prime Minister Johnny Koanapo in Canberra last week.

Mr Napuat's statement about Vanuatu eventually phasing out "all advisers" also sits uncomfortably with the public statements Australia has made on policing cooperation, particularly as the federal government has never suggested the AFP's commitment to Vanuatu is time-limited.

Under the Nakamal Agreement, Australia has agreed to "elevate assistance to the Vanuatu Police Force in police training and equipment, policing, maritime security, cyber security, intelligence cooperation, and infrastructure".

And last week a senior AFP officer, David McLean, told a parliamentary committee he expected the AFP contingent in Vanuatu could "nearly double in size over the coming years" in order to implement the pact, although Vanuatu's prime minister subsequently said his country would need to sign off on any increase.

The ABC contacted Prime Minister Jotham Napat for a response.

The ABC also sent questions to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT); however, it declined to comment.

China's Embassy in Vanuatu has not responded to the ABC's questions on Australia and Vanuatu's joint statement.