"Anthony Albanese's strategy of pushing back against China in the Pacific has been dealt another blow, with a major defence treaty with Papua New Guinea delayed amid concerns about sovereignty. A deal was expected with the former Australian colony this week but the prime minister is set to leave Port Moresby without signing the so-called Pukpuk mutual defence treaty with his counterpart, James Marape, on Wednesday."
"The PNG deal is expected to lock the two countries into joint defence arrangements in the event of a military attack, and to allow citizens of both countries to serve in the defence forces of the other. Joint training exercises, better technical interoperability and new cooperation on cybersecurity preparedness are all envisaged. Albanese has pushed a deal for PNG to enter the NRL in 2028, part of the $600m agreement which has served as a major diplomatic sweetener."
A planned mutual defence treaty between Australia and Papua New Guinea was not signed during a Port Moresby visit because sovereignty concerns and cabinet processes remain unresolved. The two governments signed a joint communique and agreed to continue negotiations on the wider defence pact. The delay follows a recent pause by Vanuatu over critical minerals and China funding. The proposed pact would create joint defence arrangements, permit citizens to serve in each other’s defence forces, enable joint training and interoperability, and add cybersecurity cooperation. A linked $600m package includes an NRL team entry for PNG in 2028 as a diplomatic incentive.
Read at www.theguardian.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]