Albanese leaves PNG without defence pact, insists deal is coming
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The news: Anthony Albanese will leave Papua New Guinea without signing a landmark defence treaty, as Australia struggles to counter China’s growing influence in the Pacific.
The context: Albanese travelled with Defence Minister Richard Marles to PNG, which is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its independence from Australia.
Albanese had flagged the deal as imminent before jetting to Port Moresby earlier this week, but said PNG’s cabinet was unable to form a quorum as ministers were “off celebrating” the occasion.
The prime minister has agreed on the text of the deal with his PNG counterpart, James Marape, with the two leaders instead signing a communique.
“[He] is very supportive, a lot of work has gone into it … This is about our mutual security, this is our mutual sovereignty as well as showing respect for each other,” Albanese said.
PNG’s cabinet will consult on the deal shortly, with Albanese insisting the deal will be formally rubber-stamped “in coming weeks”.
PNG Foreign Minister Justin Tkatchenko confirmed cabinet approval was a “work in progress” on Wednesday, and some reports suggest there are internal concerns over what the deal would mean for PNG’s sovereignty.
Marape revealed he will dispatch Tkatchenko to China, among other countries, to discuss the deal but insisted Beijing had “in no shape or form” urged him not to sign it.
The delay comes after the Albanese government pledged $600 million to fund a new rugby league team based in PNG, which will enter the NRL competition in 2028.
It also agreed to pay for the construction of a new ministerial wing for PNG’s Parliament, though the government has not revealed how much that will cost. Albanese was the first foreign leader to address PNG’s new Parliament in 2022.
The delay comes a week after Vanuatu paused the signing of a joint agreement with Australia, saying more work needed to be done on critical mineral deals with China.
What they said: “We ask that [China] does respect the PNG's government choice of security partners. It is our choice. We are here at home with Australia,” Marape told reporters on Wednesday.
