Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has shrugged off renewed threats to Australia’s trade relationship from an angry Beijing, while at the same time using high-level talks to steer key Pacific nations away from Chinese influence.In a meeting held on the sidelines of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in London, Mr Turnbull received an assurance from Vanuatu’s Prime Minister Charlot Salwai that he would never allow a Chinese-funded port in his country to be used as a military base.In a separate meeting, also overnight Wednesday with his Solomon Islands counterpart Rick Houenipwela, Mr Turnbull assured him Australia would fund an undersea internet cable between the two nations, squeezing out a rival bid by Chinese telco Huawei.”We are building a fibre optic cable which will connect both the Solomons and Papua New Guinea to Australia and hence to the internet and that is going to deliver enormous benefits to both countries,” he said.
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