TRANSCRIPT:
Albanese and Rabuka: "Bulla! How are you? Good to see you. Very good."
That's Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who is now in Tonga for the 53rd Pacific Islands Forum Leaders' Meeting.
"It's fantastic to be here, the Pacific Islands Forum is such an important gathering. We're part of the Pacific family and over the next couple of days we'll be talking about our common interest."
Anthony Albanese has wasted no time getting to work at the Forum.
The major announcement so far has been around support for a far-ranging $400 million policing pact which the Prime Minister says will strengthen collective peace and security.
The proposal would see a training facility set up near Brisbane, with rotations of Pacific police deployed when needed, along with four regional training centres established across the region, including Papua New Guinea.
Tongan Prime Minister Siaosi Sovaleni says he is grateful for Australia's approach to security.
"It's really important to have a Pacific-led, Pacific-owned initiative that reinforces the existing regional security architecture. Tonga sincerely thanks Australia for funding this critical initiative. Tonga looks forward to continuing to work with Australia and foreign members to bring this initiative to fruition."
But the emphasis on a strategy born from within the Pacific was also pointed – seen by some as a slight to China’s efforts to expand its own security presence in the region.
Tess Newton-Caine is an adjunct associate professor at the Griffith Asia Institute.
"It's a bit of a joke around Pacific capitals that you know, if you want the Americans or the Australians to pay for something, the easiest way to do that is to tell them that you're talking to China about it."
But for Anthony Albanese, it's a demonstration of Australia's good faith - and support of Pacific led solutions.
"This demonstrates how Pacific leaders are working together to shape the future that we want to see. The first task of any national leader is to look after the security and safety of our residents and that is what this is about – making sure that by working together the security of the entire region will be much stronger and looked after by ourselves."
The Pacific Policing Initiative is not without its critics, including some at the summit.
But Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape has been quick to quash any speculation.
"At the moment Australia remains our security partner of choice – especially the police matters. China respects very much our choices of partnerships. Thank you."
Meanwhile, though the policing deal has been largely welcomed, it's rising sea levels that considered to be the region's biggest security threat.
The Falepili Union was penned between Australia and Tuvalu at last year’s summit.
That pact is now in effect, legally binding Australia to aid Tuvalu in the event of natural disaster, disease or military attack - and meaning hundreds of people from the low-lying island will start coming to Australia in the coming months.
Tuvaluan Prime Minister Feleti Teo says he welcomes the landmark agreement.
"The treaty prioritises three key areas, namely: climate cooperation, mobility with dignity and shared security. For Tuvalu, building its resilience and adaptability to the impact of climate change, in particular climate change-induced sea level rise and future-proofing Tuvalu's statehood and sovereignty remain our top priorities."
The deal was marked with a traditional dance to show gratitude - as calls for climate action resonate.
