Vanuatu, at the centre of a strategic rivalry between China and Western countries in the region, was plunged into a political crisis when opposition leader Bob Loughman lodged the no-confidence petition criticising Prime Minister Ishmael Kalsakau for signing a security pact with Australia.
Loughman, who drew Vanuatu closer to China as the previous prime minister, said the security pact with Australia compromised Vanuatu's "neutral" status and could jeopardise development assistance from China, its biggest external creditor.
