Penny Wong says Vanuatu security deal will be made public unlike China-Solomons agreement

Australia’s foreign minister Penny Wong has hailed a new security deal with Vanuatu. Wong is leading a bipartisan delegation to Vanuatu, the Federated States of Micronesia and Palau. Photograph: Office of Senator Penny Wong

The Australian foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, has drawn a contrast with China’s approach to the Pacific by promising that a new security deal she signed with Vanuatu on Tuesday would be released publicly.

Wong, who is leading a bipartisan Australian delegation to the region, also left the door open to pursuing similar deals with other Pacific countries amid growing competition with Beijing for influence in the region.