Description: Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister, James Marape, has confirmed that his Cabinet approved the newest security agreement with Australia and the Parliament is expected to ratify it in the upcoming days. The security agreement was concluded in the past couple of days during Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s visit to the country where he leads a foreign policy campaign of limiting Chinese influence in the Pacific. The security agreement stipulated a joint defense clause and a possibility for soldiers from Papua New Guinea to serve in the Australian military, effectively addressing the country’s recruitment problems. The deal was criticized by China’s embassy in the country which claimed that there were no provisions for developing defensive ties with other countries as the deal was exclusively mutual. Australia recently failed to conclude a similar deal with Vanuatu, whose political establishment feared the cessation of funds for infrastructure projects which are sponsored by China. Australia and the US have embarked on a foreign policy campaign to gather support from smaller Pacific countries ever since China concluded its security pact with the Solomon Islands in 2022.
Impact: Following the conclusion of the security agreement with Nauru in Aug, Australia has further expanded its portfolio of strategic allies in the Pacific hampering efforts by China to increase its military presence in the theater. Working on securing the AUKUS agreement and expanding defense partnerships would further strengthen Australia’s presence and military influence in the region which is dominated by Chinese naval presence and ties through capital infrastructure projects. Vanuatu’s refusal to sign a similar agreement with Australia is due to heavy Chinese capital in the country as the country’s largest foreign creditor. The power dynamics in the Indo – Pacific and the Pacific theaters would significantly intensify in the upcoming period with similar agreements being the primary foreign policy goals of China and Australia, especially in a period of heightened tensions and speculations of Chinese invasion over Taiwan.