Upon hearing that China was seeking a police and security agreement with Papua New Guinea, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a statement on January 29, 2024 that his country was Papua New Guinea’s “preferred security partner”.[1]
In September 2023, China offered Papua New Guinea assistance with training, equipment and surveillance technology for its police force. However, Papua New Guinea Minister of Foreign Affairs Justin Tkachenko stated on January 29, 2024 that the talks in question are still at an early stage and that Port Moresby will act carefully on this issue in order not to risk its security ties with Australia and the United States of America (USA).[2]
On the other hand, Papua New Guinea made a security agreement worth $200 million with Australia in December 2023 and aimed to increase police training. It also signed a defense agreement with the USA in May of the same year. Both agreements have not yet been implemented.[3]
“As for most countries in the Pacific, we are Papua New Guinea’s preferred security partner,” Albanese said in a statement. As a matter of fact, in order to limit China’s regional influence, Australia promised $35 million in police aid to East Timor on Monday, January 29, 2024. In the beginning of January 2024, China’s Ambassador to Australia in his statement stated that Beijing’s strategy to assist Pacific Island countries with policing is only about policing, not defense, and that this situation should not worry Australia.[4]
Tkachenko, on the other hand, stated that China’s offer of policing and internal security assistance was “carefully considered” and that he did not want to repeat or jeopardize agreements already made with Papua New Guinea’s “traditional security partners” Australia and the United States. Port Moresby has previously stated that it views China as an economic partner and considers Australia and the United States as security partners. Tkachenko said, “We have a long-standing and cordial relationship with China, we can agree even on issues we cannot agree on”.[5]
Australia’s security agreement with Papua New Guinea is important for understanding security dynamics and alliance relations in the region. As a matter of fact, Australia is an important ally of the US-based Western Bloc in the Asia-Pacific. It can be said that this causes Canberra to enter into a cyclical competition with Beijing.
At this point, Canberra’s entry into an indirect competition with Beijing via Port Moresby may make Australia more valuable in Washington’s eyes. This factor may subsequently lead the West to develop greater cooperation with Australia in line with its regional struggles and goals. In short, it can be argued that Canberra will play a more active role in regional power struggles with the situation in question.
It can be argued that the most notable playing field of the global competition between China and the USA is the Asia-Pacific Region. In this context, the USA is making efforts to increase its presence in the region by establishing regional alliance with states such as South Korea, Japan, Philippines, New Zealand, Vietnam and Australia, and formations such as AUKUS, ANZUS, QUAD and the Five Eyes Alliance. On the other hand, Beijing’s regional policies are viewed with a competitive eye by both the West and its allies.
It is noteworthy that while Papua New Guinea is improving its economic relations with China, it is also strengthening its ties with Australia and the USA in the field of security. The situation in question reveals Port Moresby’s versatile foreign policy. Although the West follows a policy of polarization in the region, it can be said that regional actors stay away from choosing a clear side due to the strong economic ties they have developed simultaneously with China and the USA and their military power that is incomparably lower than these two states.
In this context, regional actors approach both sides at equal distance or do not position the other side as a clear enemy, even if they develop more meaningful relations with one side. This may reflect the changing nature of traditional alliances and power dynamics in international relations. Because the countries here do not want the competition to remain bilateral and to evolve into a regional or global war, conflict or the use of hard power.
As a result, Australia’s efforts to strengthen its security perspective through regional alliances serve an important foreign policy making process. It is also possible that this situation will create discomfort for Beijing and that Canberra will subsequently become a more important actor in Washington’s regional ambitions.
[1] “Australia the ‘Security Partner of Choice’ in South Pacific-PM Albanese”, Reuters, https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/australia-security-partner-choice-south-pacific-pm-albanese-2024-01-30/, (Date Accesion: 30.01.2024).
[2] “Albanese Insists Australia Remains PNG’s Closest Friend Amid Talk of China Pact”, The Sydney Morning Herald, https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/albanese-insists-australia-remains-png-s-closest-friend-amid-talk-of-china-pact-20240130-p5f13u.html, (Date Accesion: 30.01.2024).
[3] “Australia the ‘Security Partner of Choice’ in South Pacific-PM Albanese”, Reuters, https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/australia-security-partner-choice-south-pacific-pm-albanese-2024-01-30/, (Date Accesion: 30.01.2024).
[4] Ibıd.
[5] Ibıd.
