Scott Morrison at the Pacific Islands Forum
Scott Morrison at the 2019 Pacific Islands Forum in Tuvalu (Image: AAP/Mick Tsikas)

This is part two in a two-part series on Australia’s international humanitarian response to the pandemic. Read part one here.

Australia's international aid efforts are being slashed as a result of the pandemic. Our troops have withdrawn from war-torn areas. Cash has been repurposed from existing aid programs, with no new funding available. Shortwave radio broadcasts have been cancelled across the Pacific.

Australia has left a hole in international humanitarian aid over the course of this pandemic. But, at the same time, China has stepped up. China has assisted our neighbours with troops, communications, and direct cash grants.