SYDNEY, Aug 26 (Reuters) - China has sent police experts and equipment to the Pacific nation of Vanuatu in the midst of a political crisis that saw the Supreme Court rule the prime minister lost a no-confidence vote in parliament. 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. The Chinese police experts "will greatly enhance the ability of the Vanuatu police to maintain social order", Kalsakau said, according to the Chinese embassy statement. Police cooperation will improve police capacity and promote social and economic development, Li said, in comments reported by the Vanuatu Daily Post newspaper. The leaders of Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea and Fiji met in Vanuatu on Thursday and signed a joint declaration on security that has yet to be publicly released.

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Persons: Bob Loughman, Ishmael Kalsakau, Loughman, China's, Li Minggang, Kalsakau, Li, Kirsty Needham, Robert Birsel Organizations: SYDNEY, Vanuatu, Kalsakau, Vanuatu Daily Post, Thomson Locations: China, Pacific, Vanuatu, Australia, Kalsakau, New Zealand, United States, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Fiji