Australia’s ‘shameful’ cocaine habit prompts $600m Pacific package
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has pledged $600 million for a new Pacific-wide initiative called Waqa Moana to combat illicit drug smuggling. The move comes amid rising regional tensions and concerns over transnational crime affecting Australia.
Why it matters
This funding represents a significant geopolitical effort to secure maritime borders and strengthen regional cooperation against drug cartels in the Pacific.
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Share A A A Koror City, Palau: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will pledge $600 million for a new Pacific-wide initiative to combat the surge of illicit drug smuggling in the region, especially cocaine bound for Australia.
The major funding commitment came as Albanese pushed back against China’s Pacific envoy for threatening retaliation and lodging complaints over Taiwan’s presence at the Pacific Islands Forum in Palau, declaring it was up to Pacific nations to determine their own affairs.
US Coast Guard members board a self-propelled semi-submersible in international waters in 2019. US Coast Guard/AP Tensions between Taiwan and China escalated as officials traded barbs , with Taiwan accusing Beijing of bullying smaller nations and China accusing the self-governing territory of humiliating itself.
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