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Why US defence deal with Papua New Guinea is likely to ‘set China further back’ in the Pacific
- Papua New Guinea’s defence of a landmark US security pact has come with assurances to No 2 trade partner China that ties will not be affected
- After Philippine base deals, PNG pact will help expand ‘arc of US military power’ and put China further on the back foot, observer says
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Papua New Guinea’s recent defence of a landmark US security pact included a message to China that it was business as usual, as the Pacific becomes a new theatre for great power rivalry.
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The Defence Cooperation Agreement, signed last month, would give US troops unrestricted access to some of PNG’s seaports and airports – a move that could potentially bolster the US military’s defence of its Guam bases in the Pacific “second island chain”.
The deal signalled greater presence for the US and a further setback for China in the region, where Beijing has failed to make major inroads beyond trade despite high-level engagement in recent years, analysts said.
As the PNG government sought to allay lawmakers’ concerns over a clause giving legal immunity to US personnel posted in the island country, it also assured China that ties with the island nation’s No 2 trade partner would not be damaged.
“Our friends in China know us,” Prime Minister James Marape told parliament on Wednesday, when debate on the US deal began.
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