Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will stress Australia's re-engagement with Pacific Island nations when he lands in Fiji for a key meeting of regional leaders.
Mr Albanese left Australia early on Wednesday for Suva, Fiji, for the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), where US Vice President Kamala Harris announced new investments and the opening of two Pacific embassies.
"My message will be that Australia is back, re-engaged, with the Pacific," he told ABC radio before departing Sydney.
"It's a new era, a new era of cooperation and one of my messages will be that (our) support for the Pacific doesn't come with strings attached."
Mr Albanese will also on Wednesday meet with Solomons Island Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare and "my friend" Fijian Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama.
The forum has already attracted controversy after Kiribati's shock decision to withdraw from the regional body prior to the gathering.
"Prime Minister Bainimarama put together a super agreement to try to make sure that the ... nations of the Pacific Island Forum held together and in a constructive way," Mr Albanese said.
"That was successful, largely, in removing some of the discontent that had been there and the tensions that were there."
But he conceded it has not been successful in keeping the involvement of Kiribati, angered after Micronesia missed out on the PIF secretary-general position.
"We will continue to reach out and continue to engage and I'm very hopeful that we can bring Kiribati back on board," Mr Albanese said.
"It is in their interests, like it's in the interests of all the nations of the Pacific Island Forum, to have cooperation and have a vehicle whereby we have the dialogue and get the cooperation that is needed to advance the interests of the whole region."
Other member states will miss the summit, including Nauru, due to a COVID-19 outbreak, Cook Islands, which is holding local elections within weeks, and Marshall Islands, due to legal issues.
The four absences - comprising almost a quarter of the forum - are unfortunate given the emphasis forum leaders have placed on regional unity ahead of the 2022 summit.
The forum has been mired in internal squabbling, with sub-regions and individuals competing for influence in a long-running spat that led to Kiribati's withdrawal.
In the background are China and the US, which are battling for influence in the increasingly important region.
On that front, the US claimed a diplomatic victory with Ms Harris addressing members virtually on Wednesday morning.
The invitation to the US is a major breach of tradition, given that non-forum states are usually restricted to post-forum dialogues.
Asked if this was a snub to China, Mr Albanese said it was the PIF's decision, adding that the US has had a long-term presence in the Pacific, including Hawaii.
Ms Harris announced new embassies in Kiribati and Tonga, a renegotiated South Pacific Tuna Treaty and a national Pacific strategy when she spoke on Wednesday.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and her New Zealand counterpart Nanaia Mahuta were present - as were two uninvited guests.
The ABC reports two uncredentialled Chinese officials snuck in for the address.
NZ Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who arrived in Suva on Monday, and Mr Albanese will meet with Pacific leaders in bilateral meetings on Wednesday afternoon.
© AAP 2022