Five Eyes-Style Intel Body Would Offset China’s Bullying Tactics

Australia should lead the creation of a formal Five Eyes-style intelligence alliance in the Pacific amid China’s growing presence in the region, a prominent foreign policy think tank has suggested, South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported.

The proposed intelligence-sharing alliance is dubbed the "Five Eyes." (Photo: Royal Australian Navy Facebook)

Dubbed “Pacific Eyes,” the proposed intelligence-sharing alliance could help plug institutional gaps that “external powers” — particularly Beijing — are eager to exploit, the Sydney-based Lowy Institute said in a report released Tuesday.

It recommended that the framework initially consist of Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and Fiji.

“The Pacific Islands have become an arena for intensifying geopolitical competition, with Beijing making unprecedented security inroads in recent years,” the report said.

It cited China’s 2022 security pact with the Solomon Islands, the partnership action plan with the Cook Islands signed in February, and the “increased” frequency of Chinese naval and coastguard deployments in Pacific Island waters.

Author Mihai Sora, director of Lowy’s Pacific Islands Program, also warned of a “loose patchwork” of security initiatives that Pacific nations currently rely on — a system that, according to the report, has failed to address mounting transnational challenges such as organized crime, illegal fishing, cyberattacks, political unrest, and climate-related disasters.

He added that many of these issues are linked, at least indirectly, to China’s activities.