Australia and Papua New Guinea Sign Security Pact Amid Rising US-China Tensions

Pact Strengthens Australia's Position as Primary Security Partner in Pacific, PNG Maintains Impartiality in Global Power Rivalry

Australia and Papua New Guinea (PNG) have signed a security pact, strengthening Australia's position as a primary security partner in the Pacific region.
The agreement, which focuses on PNG's domestic security, includes more assistance in policing, defense and the judiciary, and was signed six months later than initially planned due to PNG's concerns about sovereignty.
PNG Prime Minister James Marape emphasized that the country is not picking sides in the strategic competition between China and the West, maintaining a foreign policy of 'friends to all and enemies to none'.
Despite having entered into a defense agreement with the United States in May, PNG asserts that it remains impartial and has not aligned itself with any particular side.
The deal comes amid growing rivalry between Washington and Beijing in the Asia Pacific, with China seeking to boost its security presence in the Pacific Islands.