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Australia cops backlash from China over Fiji defence pact | ABC News Top Stories - ABC News & Headlines – Australian Broadcasting Corporation
GNews: ABC News Major outlet·2026-07-06PacificP5: Strategic DecouplingP7: Alliance ArchitectureP8: Northern Arc
Why it matters
Australia's Fiji defence pact represents an active decoupling move in the Pacific, repositioning Australia as the primary security guarantor in its Northern Arc and reducing Chinese strategic access to the island states. China's backlash confirms the pact's strategic salience and suggests Australia is successfully executing a counter-China alliance strategy, though at risk of escalating regional tensions and potential economic retaliation.
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