The Prime Minister is confident China has been unsuccessful in its efforts assert dominance in the Indo-Pacific. 

Anthony Albanese is on his way home from the Pacific Islands Forum in Fiji, where he met his Solomon Islands counterpart in person for the first time.

The implications of a security pact formed between Beijing and the Solomon Islands earlier this year topped the agenda.

A draft of the pact prompted then-prime minister Scott Morrison to raise concerns during May around the potential construction of a Chinese military base on the Solomon Islands.

But speaking in Suva, Mr Albanese said Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare has made it clear “there would not be a base in the Solomons”.

“One of the things we need to do is build personal relations between Australia and our friends in the Pacific to make sure that our interests, but also their interests, are protected,” he said.

Mr Albanese appeared confident that his government’s higher emissions reduction ambitions had bolstered the nation’s relationship with a number of Pacific nations.

“I said I would listen, we did listen; I said I’d show respect, I did show respect,” he said.

“The fact that we had a meeting ended just after 3pm was something that was reflected by all of our Pacific Island friends.”

Image: Anthony Albanese / Twitter