Vanuatu's Prime Minister Ishmael Kalsakau said, during a visit by Australia's Defence Minister Richard Marles, that a security treaty signed with Australia in December 2022 is still being examined.
Some Vanuatu politicians who favour ties with China have expressed concern over the deal.
Vanuatu's National Security Council was "going through the text" and it will next be considered by his government's Council of Ministers, Kalsakau said in Vanuatu's capital Port Vila.
"It will be presented for ratification before the end of this year in Parliament," he said.