by Agence France-PressePapua New Guinea (PNG) on Monday (local time) signed a defense deal with the United States, allowing the US military access to its airfields and ports as Washington counters China’s growing footprint in the Pacific. competes with.
Washington has growing concerns about China’s rise in the Pacific, where it is trying to lure nations with a variety of diplomatic and financial incentives in exchange for strategic support.
Defense Minister Win Bakri Daki signed the agreement with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken ahead of the start of a US meeting with leaders of 14 South Pacific island states in the capital Port Moresby.
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“A defense cooperation agreement is concluded,” Prime Minister James Marape Said at the signing ceremony, adding the Pacific island was “elevating” its relationship with the United States.
Blinken said that under the “completely transparent” deal, the two countries would be able to board each other’s ships, share technical expertise and “better patrol” the seas.
“The agreement we’ve reached, the work we’re doing, it’s not about any other country,” he told reporters at the end of the meeting.
“It’s about our relationship with the Pacific Islands and our shared vision for the region.”
Washington’s diplomatic efforts in the Pacific got a further boost on Monday after it renewed a key strategic deal with the Palau Islands.
intense rivalry
In a sign of the intense rivalry over the South Pacific, Blinken was not the only representative of a major power aiming to counter Beijing’s growing economic, political and military presence.
Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi flew over the city on the eve of their meeting only a few hours before that, claiming her Nation’s role as a regional power,
PM Modi told Pacific leaders, “We support a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific. We respect the sovereignty and integrity of all countries.”
After making the first visit to the country by an Indian Prime Minister, PM Modi tweeted that it was a “historic” visit. By signing a security agreement with PNG, Blinken will also expand the US military’s ability to deploy in the region.
Beijing has closed mines and ports in the Pacific, and last year struck a secret security agreement with the neighboring Solomon Islands that allows China to station troops in the country.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said on Monday that Beijing would not object to “normal exchanges” between nations, but should be wary of using cooperation in the Pacific as a “pretext to engage in geopolitical games”. .
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‘illegal activities’
The United States fears that a Chinese military foothold in the South Pacific could eliminate its facilities on Guam, and could further complicate Taiwan’s defense in the event of a Chinese invasion.
The State Department said the agreement with PNG would “enhance stability and security in the region”.
“Port Moresby is no longer a sleepy diplomatic outpost,” said Gordon Peake, a senior advisor on Pacific Islands at the United States Institute of Peace.
“While China may not be mentioned anywhere in the document, it is an important subtext in this story of deepening US-PNG relations.”
Last week, Marpe said the deal would offer Washington movement in the country’s waters in exchange for access to US satellite surveillance to fight “illegal activities on the high seas”.
He added that the deal would not deter them from signing similar agreements with other countries, including China.
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student protest
The agreement has prompted student protests at several universities, with PNG’s largest newspaper, the Post Courier, reporting that it gives the US military too much autonomy at some of the country’s key entry points.
In Port Moresby, a large number of students gathered at the University of Papua New Guinea in the evening, setting some tires on fire. A private security guard of the university said that stones were being thrown at passing vehicles.
Security was tightened in the capital on Monday, with roads blocked and bomb squad cars deployed near its downtown beach area where leaders were meeting. Officers were also patrolling the nearby waters using speedboats and jet skis.
Blinken replaced Joe Biden after the meeting US President canceled his visit To attend debt ceiling talks in Washington.
On top of the deal, the US pledged to give PNG $45 million to combat organized crime, climate change and HIV/AIDS, as well as protective equipment for its military, the State Department said.
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