The security treaty signed last week is the logical next step in the two countries’ relationship. But Australia’s interests in PNG should remain broad-based.
The government is gifting 8,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines to Papua New Guinea for frontline health workers, and is requesting an additional 1,000,000 doses from European authorities for the pacific nation.
China made a huge splash in PNG in late 2018 with infrastructure investments and loan pledges. But since then, it has struggled to make inroads due, in part, to anti-Chinese sentiment.