SYDNEY, Sept 23, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Vanuatu's interior minister has said China will donate hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of police equipment to the Pacific island nation, local media reported Tuesday, as Beijing deepens its influence in the region.

Internal Affairs Minister Andrew Solomon Napuat said Beijing will donate motorcycles, drones and other gear worth over $400,000 to his country's Police Force, the Vanuatu Daily Post reported.

Two countries are also eyeing a policing deal that will "better coordinate and manage different areas of partnership in the policing sector with all of our partners", Napuat was quoted as saying.

The announcement comes after Napuat paid a visit to Beijing last week, where he met with his Chinese counterpart Wang Xiaohong.

Napuat said his country's priorities were on addressing climate change, transnational crime and general policing.

"Climate change is the biggest security threat in Vanuatu," he said.

"We highlighted the issue of sovereignty, stating that Vanuatu will continue to exercise its sovereignty on important matters, and we expect our partners to respect this," he added.

The country already has similar policing agreements with Australia, New Zealand, France and the United Kingdom.

But the deal will likely raise eyebrows in Canberra, which has sought to counter Beijing's influence in the Pacific and this month failed to sign a key agreement with Vanuatu aimed at deepening ties.

Vanuatu's Prime Minister Jotham Napat cited concerns that its wording would limit the country's ability to access funds for "critical infrastructure" from other nations -- widely seen as a nod to China.

Across the South Pacific, climate-vulnerable countries are trying to balance relations between the West and China -- seeking to score much-needed funding from both while retaining their hard-won independence.

Many nations in the region are in desperate need of investment as fragile economies falter and the costs related to climate change grow.

China has in recent years furnished Vanuatu with freshly paved roads, government office buildings, and even a new palace for the country's president.