“We are moving from a generic relationship…to a specific relationship with the United States,” Papua New Guinean Prime Minister James Marape summed up. Papua New Guinea and the United States signed a security pact on Monday, May 22, which provides access to Papua New Guinean ports and airports for American forces, in exchange for access from Papua New Guinea. to US surveillance satellites. The signing took place before the meeting of a forum bringing together the United States and the fourteen South Pacific island states in Port Moresby, the Papua capital.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who had made the trip in place of Joe Biden, who had to cancel his trip due to negotiations on the US public debt, said that the two armies could rise to on each other's ships, share their expertise and "patrol better" together at sea.
In addition to this agreement, the United States promised Papua New Guinea $45 million in funding to fight organized crime, climate change and the AIDS virus, as well as protective equipment for its army, according to the US State Department.
A rapprochement to counter China
"Even though China is not mentioned anywhere in the document, [its presence] underlies the deepening of relations between the United States and Papua New Guinea", analyzes Gordon Peake, of the Institute United States for Peace, quoted by Agence France-Presse. Mr. Marape, however, clarified that this agreement would not prevent Papua New Guinea from entering into similar alliances with other countries, including China.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning reacted on Monday by saying that Beijing would not oppose "normal exchanges" between nations, but be wary of using cooperation. "as a pretext to engage in geopolitical games" in the Pacific.
Last year, the neighboring Solomon Islands signed its own security pact with China, a move that raised alarm across the Pacific. The United States has increased its focus on the Pacific, opening embassies in the Solomon Islands and Tonga, reviving the efforts of Peace Corps volunteers and encouraging more business investment.
The US-Papua deal has sparked student protests at several universities, according to the Post-Courier – Papua New Guinea's largest newspaper – which fears the country is granting too much autonomy to US forces at some of the country's main entry points.
