Australia signed a new defence alliance with Fiji on Monday, bolstering ties with its South Pacific island neighbour as it seeks to outmanoeuvre China in the region.

The Ocean of Peace alliance elevates Fiji to one of Australia’s few treaty allies and binds each nation to come to the other’s “mutual defence”.

China sent waves through the region in 2022 when it signed a secretive security pact with the Solomon Islands , stoking fears it could one day lead to a permanent military presence.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese signed the pact with his Fijian counterpart Sitiveni Rabuka during a trip to capital Suva. Photos showed Albanese sipping Fiji’s traditional kava drink at a welcome ceremony before the alliance was signed.