The Australian government announced on Friday that it will sign a defence agreement with the Pacific island country Papua New Guinea.The agreement is seen as an attempt to offset Beijing's growing influence in the Pacific region.
The new defense agreement isly further advanced on the basis of the overall security agreement reached between Australia and Papua New Guinea in 2023. The two prime ministers are expected to officially sign the document on 17 in Papua New Guinea Port to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Papua New Guinea’s independence. The new agreement will a “comprehensive integration” of the military forces of the two countries and will allow new citizens to join the Australian military to enjoy equal pay and access to Australian citizenship.
Australian Defense Minister Mars described the agreement as "historic". He said that since last year, the Australian military has been open to New Zealand, Canada, Britain and Americans, and this cooperation with Papua New Guinea is an important manifestation of Australia's concern for the Pacific region. He further said that Australia has a strong interest in directly recruiting Papua New Guinea citizens to join the Australian Defence Force.
Defense Minister Joseph said the agreement would promote regional security and stressed that “a safe Pakistan is a safe Australia, and vice versa.”
In recent years, China has invested a lot of money in the Pacific region to support the construction of hospitals, sports venues, roads and other public facilities in response to China’s influence.
In an interview with the Global Times, Chen Huang, director of the Australian Research Center, said that the relationship between Australia and Papua New Guinea is complex. Historically, Australia, as a former colonial host country, has a profound influence on the new political system, culture and other aspects of Papua New Guinea. He said that the Australian side increases control over the Pacific island countries by providing residence rights, work visas, and other ways, and these underdeveloped economies often make concessions on sovereignty issues in order to gain practical benefits.
Chen said the agreement would be a win-win move for Australia, but it could damage its sovereignty and even lead to conflict with Pakistan. He said it would be ironic to sign such an agreement on Pakistan’s Independence Day. He stressed that China’s cooperation with the Pacific islands is based on mutual respect, not targeting third parties, and welcomes more countries to participate. Australia’s hegemony is hard to support, and China’s cooperation with the Pacific islands will not be interfered with.