The Latest Breaking News from Penny Wong

The United States and Australia are moving to counter China's active engagement with South Pacific island nations.

The prime minister has kept his praetorian guard in the central engine room of the government while there are 10 women in his 23-person cabinet

Scant details released apart from promises of infrastructure support, amid western concerns that China is seeking to expand its security presence in region

China's foreign minister signed a deal with Samoa on Saturday to strengthen diplomatic relations, while Australia's new leader said he had a "comprehensive plan" for the Pacific, as Beijing and Canberra continued rival campaigns to woo the region.

Chinese Foreign Affairs Minister Wang Yi is touring eight Pacific island nations as part of a strategy to increase Beijing's clout in the region. The move triggered Western countries to strengthen ties and may re-boot the relationship between France and Australia, still suffering from a submarine deal that went wrong.

Fiji Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama said on Saturday he had a “wonderful meeting” with Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong, who travelled to Fiji days after being sworn in to show the new government's attention to the Pacific Islands.

With empathy and goodwill Anthony Albanese’s Labor government can end the inane climate wars

Pacific countries in the centre of a geopolitical tug-of-war between China and the US and its allies face a big decision this week

Australia urged South Pacific nations to spurn China's attempts to extend its security reach across the region Friday, seeking to fend off a high-level charm offensive by Beijing. Foreign Minister Penny Wong was in Fiji on her first solo visit, seeking to woo island states after the Solomon Islands took…