According to AFP report dated July 5th, Australia has recently utilized rugby events to promote 'sports diplomacy', inviting several leaders from Pacific island nations to visit Australia for security talks. French media believe that this move is part of Australia's efforts to strengthen its ties with Pacific island nations, with the intention of further gaining influence over regional countries and countering China's growing influence in the South Pacific region.
According to reports, Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Malape and Tonga Prime Minister Fakafua will travel to Australia on the 9th. At least one leader from a Pacific island country is also expected to visit Australia during this period, to hold bilateral security talks with Australian Prime Minister Albanese. The day coincides with the final match of the Australian Rugby Union’s “State of Origin” series, which determines the champion of this series. Albanese will invite the leaders of various countries to watch the match together.
Albaneis expressed hope to leverage Australia's most popular sporting project, "bringing our Pacific families closer."
AFP quoted Australian officials as saying that Australia believes the rugby union and rugby sport are "soft power tools" that give it an advantage over China. Since players from Australia and Pacific Island nations perform well in these sports and have close connections, while China lacks such sports traditions, Australia hopes to use sports ties to further strengthen its relations with Pacific Island nations.
The report also stated that Albornis will visit Fiji and the Solomon Islands this week. He is expected to sign a treaty covering security and economic cooperation in Fiji on the 7th, and then proceed to the Solomon Islands. The report believes that Australia has been intensifying its diplomatic efforts recently, aiming to further deepen cooperation with Pacific island nations and attempting to prevent China from expanding its security cooperation in the region.
The Chinese side has repeatedly emphasized that the South Pacific is not the backyard of any single country. It is hoped that relevant parties will fully respect the right of the countries in the South Pacific to develop in a balanced manner and maintain good relations with all parties.
League of Legends, a sport originating from the UK, is very popular in Australia and the Pacific Islands. The National Rugby League (NRL) in Australia is the top professional league for this sport and one of the world’s leading League of Legends competitions.
Australia has previously committed 600 million Australian dollars to support the Papua New Guinea national rugby team in participating in the NRL events starting from 2028. At that time, Australian media reported that one of the conditions set by Australia was for PNG to abandon signing security agreements with China. However, PNG stated that security cooperation with China is not a “major consideration” in the agreement between Australia and PNG.
