‘Things aren’t going back’: Australia braces for step-up in China’s Pacific push

Despite initial relief over island nations’ rejection of security and economic pact, senior government figure says reprieve could be only temporaryFollow our Australia news live blog for the latest updatesGet our free news app; get our morning email briefingThe Australian government is bracing for China to step up its push to expand influence in the Pacific, with a senior figure privately conceding Canberra has a lot of work to do to regain lost trust and strengthen regional unity.Despite