Relationship dossier
France
Vanuatu
Relationship assessment
Modest cooperation shaped by historical ties and sensitivities over New Caledonia
France toward Vanuatu
+10France has engaged Vanuatu on development and climate issues, and the French president visited Vanuatu in 2023 as part of bilateral and regional engagement.
Vanuatu toward France
+10Vanuatu has engaged France through bilateral cooperation, while its support for Kanak self-determination and New Caledonia’s decolonization has been a source of political sensitivity in relations.
Overall relationship
+10The relationship combines practical development and climate engagement with a postcolonial legacy and sensitivities over New Caledonia. The 2023 presidential visit reflects continued bilateral contact, but the overall scope and durability of cooperation are unclear.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
France and Vanuatu have modest bilateral cooperation, including development and climate-related engagement and a French presidential visit to Vanuatu in 2023. Their relationship also carries historical and political sensitivities connected to French rule in the New Hebrides and Vanuatu’s position on New Caledonia. The scale and implementation of current bilateral cooperation are unclear.
Areas of tension
- Vanuatu’s support for Kanak self-determination and New Caledonia’s decolonization has sometimes diverged from French policy.
Key developments
French President Emmanuel Macron visited Vanuatu, marking a high-level bilateral engagement focused on cooperation and regional issues.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of bilateral development and climate cooperation are unclear.
- The extent to which New Caledonia remains a point of friction in current relations is uncertain.