Richard Butler | Exclusive Report by ANNA NAUPA of BENAR NEWS | 16TH FEBRUARY, 2025
Jotham Napat wants the U.S. to step up, rather than step away, despite Trump’s rejection of the Paris Agreement and aid freeze.
Vanuatu’s newly elected Prime Minister Jotham Napat is known as a sharp and media-savvy political strategist and leads a coalition government whose combined foreign affairs know-how bodes well for a Pacific country that punches above its weight globally.
Hailing from the culturally powerful island of Tanna, he’s expected to bring this local know-how to bear on Vanuatu’s international relations. Hints can be found in a bilateral conversation in 2023 with his New Zealand then-counterpart foreign minister Nanaia Mahuta. Napat promoted the concept of ‘nasituan’ from Tanna language, meaning ‘to help and support each other’ saying, an individual cannot succeed on their own.
This will clearly resonate with his coalition and development partners in terms of Vanuatu’s current extreme economic and social recovery needs, after December’s devastating 7.3 magnitude earthquake. It also signals he will not be drawn into the geopolitical contest at the expense of his people, instead seeking non-aligned, balanced foreign relations.
Napat’s inaugural speech to the national parliament as prime minister singled out the U.S. government and his hope the superpower would consider an increased presence in the Pacific. That’s despite President Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, sweeping cuts to foreign aid and flagging a reduction in military spending.
“Vanuatu is looking forward to developing a strong partnership with the United States based on shared and common values and principles,” Napat said last week. But he reaffirmed a commitment to the South Pacific nation’s long-standing policy on non-alignment by adding it would, “continue to develop friendly and balanced relations with regions and nations around the world, without compromising our sovereignty.”
Well aware of Trump’s ‘America First’ position, Napat’s targeted mention was a reminder that the U.S. engagement in the South Pacific has ebbed more than it has flowed for quite some time. Which way the tide will go next is very unclear at the moment. Australia, China, France and New Zealand – Vanuatu’s closest bilateral partners – do not need the same reminder.
The long-awaited opening of the first U.S. embassy in Port Vila in mid-2024 suffered a significant blow in December, when the building collapsed in the earthquake that devastated the capital.
Also in ruins are the Pacific regional USAID-funded programs, that are unique in their focus, after all the agency’s activities were suspended worldwide. Its support for the Pacific Community’s PROJECT Governance – targeting government transparency, accountability and corruption prevention – were of value to many island nations including Vanuatu. Projects like these have been paused by the Trump administration and the outlook is generally pessimistic.
The Vanuatu-U.S. ship-rider agreement with the U.S. Coastguard has been in place since 2016, and is a valued maritime security collaboration for combatting illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing in the country’s exclusive economic zone. Just last May, this arrangement found six Chinese-registered vessels violating Vanuatu’s fisheries laws.
Napat previously served concurrent roles as deputy prime minister and foreign minister under the Alatoi Ishmael Kalsakau government from 2022 to 2023, guiding Vanuatu’s first foreign policy White Paper. He was also instrumental in negotiating French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Vanuatu in 2023, the first for a sitting French leader since 1966, which secured a commitment to resolve a long-standing maritime boundary dispute with France.
He later served as Special Envoy on Oceans, Maritime Boundaries and Climate Diplomacy until 2024, and was a formidable global champion in Vanuatu’s advocacy to secure an International Court of Justice advisory opinion on climate justice.
Napat’s coalition cabinet is stacked with a wealth of international relations experience.
President of the Graon mo Jastis Pati Ralph Regenvanu is the most senior member in Vanuatu’s parliament, serving his sixth political term, and is back for a second time as minister of climate change. A well-known international figure, he took over from Napat as Special Envoy on Climate Diplomacy in 2024, representing Vanuatu at the ICJ submissions last December.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Johnny Koanapo – president of the Vanua’aku Pati – was a career diplomat, holding the most senior civil servant role in the foreign ministry before transitioning into a political career.
Amongst Koanapo’s numerous diplomatic achievements have been negotiated labour mobility access for ni-Vanuatu workers to Australia and New Zealand, multiple cooperation agreements with the People’s Republic of China and other partners, and the maritime boundary agreement with Solomon Islands. He also championed the establishment of the Melanesian Spearhead Group Secretariat in Port Vila in 2008.
Foreign Minister Marc Ati, of the Iauko Group party, has previously served twice in this role but was a less prominent international figure, focused on external trade.
Minister of Internal Affairs Andrew Solomon Napuat has already played a part in signaling Vanuatu wants to improve an aspect of its international reputation. The controversial golden passports scheme that cost Vanuatu citizens visa-free access to the European Union and the United Kingdom, recently came under scrutiny again over alleged sales of diplomatic passports. Napuat acted swiftly to close loopholes.
On the government backbench is former prime minister Salwai, who after the election signaled he had no interest in the top job, is also a foreign relations aficionado and credited for cultivating closer ties with China, New Caledonia and France.
One thing is clear from Vanuatu’s new Napat-led coalition government, it promises to be a vocal international actor. Napat’s subtle but pointed mention of the U.S. in his first speech underscores the depth and breadth of partnerships that Vanuatu values. While some might consider this at odds with his claim on non-alignment policy, it is a friendly encouragement to a diplomatic partner to step up, rather than step away.
