The regional free trade agreement, which had been negotiated for nearly a decade, would be signed by the region's trade ministers in Tonga this week.
RNZI reports that on Thursday, Vanuatu's government said it would not sign the agreement, joining two of the Pacific's other large economies, Fiji and Papua New Guinea, in refusing to do so.
Steve Siro, from the Office of the Chief Trade Advisor, said the announcement came out of the blue, as it had until a week ago been a big proponent.
