Australia said Pacific island leaders meeting at a summit in Tonga endorsed a contentious regional policing plan Wednesday, a move seen as trying to limit China's security role in the region.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said leaders have agreed to establish up to four regional police training centers and a multinational crisis reaction force.
Under the plan, a corps of about 200 officers drawn from different Pacific island nations could be dispatched to regional hot spots and disaster zones when needed and invited.
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