Marise Payne (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

Australia has clearly said many times on the record that we welcome investments from all development partners that support sustainable development and respond to the priorities of Pacific governments in our region. We want to see infrastructure investment that is transparent, non-discriminatory and open, and upholds robust standards so that investments deliver long-term benefits and avoid unsustainable debt burdens. We welcome deeper cooperation with partners, including China, in the Pacific where we have shared interests. During last week's dialogue, we agreed to explore opportunities where we could work together in the region to support security and stability and prosperity—for example, building on our successful trilateral partnership with Papua New Guinea to address malaria. During my visit last week, I also met the chair of the recently established China International Development Cooperation Agency and proposed the establishment of a development policy dialogue and technical exchanges between his agency and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.