Tender documents seen by show reveal that Australia will significantly increase surveillance of Pacific Islands' territorial waters. The country plans to spend A$477m ($310.72m) on aerial patrols to detect illegal fishing fleets. Meanwhile, China is taking steps to send its coastguard to the area.

The Fiji Times reported that Australia's Premier Anthony Albanese would visit Fiji this Friday. This follows the approval last week by the Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka of a maritime agreement which will see Australia funding a patrol vessel for Fiji.

Australia will conduct commercial aerial patrols in support of Pacific Island countries to monitor exclusive economic zones that span millions of kilometers of ocean. In April, a monitoring centre in Fiji was opened as part of efforts to combat illegal fishing.

The Australian Defence Department declined to comment about the aerial tender. Pacific Minister Pat Conroy also did not respond when asked for comment.

Last week, it was reported that China's Coast Guard is taking steps to board fishing boats on the high seas for the first times in the Pacific. This could lead to tensions with Taiwanese vessels that also operate in the area.

Ten Pacific Island Ministers, including Fiji, were shown the capabilities of the Chinese Coast Guard's largest ship, which is used to enforce maritime laws in the Taiwan Strait. This demonstration took place in China two weeks ago.

Officials from the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) confirmed that China has registered 26 Coast Guard vessels for Pacific Ocean Patrols with WCPFC, but it has not yet conducted an inspection. China declined to comment.

Australia has given two dozen patrol boat to Pacific Island Nations, and conducts navy and air force searches for illegal fishing several times per year in the region.

Sangaa Clark is the chief executive of the Parties To the Nauru Agreement. She represents nine Pacific Island nations that control the largest tuna fishing industry in the world. The group does not invite China to conduct patrols and instead relies on Australian-funded patrols and surveillance by Australia, New Zealand France and the United States.

Pacific security expert Peter Connolly said Chinese Coast Guard Patrols in the Region would "introduce strategic tensions to the police of the Pacific Fisheries".

He said that the People's Republic of China and Taiwan were the two countries with the most illegal fisherman in the Pacific.

(source: Reuters)