Australia and Fiji have signed a mutual defence alliance requiring each country to support the other in the event of an attack. The Ocean of Peace Alliance is Fiji's first formal defence treaty and strengthens Australia's network of security relationships in the Pacific. Australia also plans to invest more than one billion Australian dollars in Fiji over the next decade. The agreement is widely viewed in the context of growing competition between Australia, the United States and China for influence in the Pacific. Both governments say the partnership is intended to strengthen regional security and is not directed against any specific country.
