2023-05-23 17:38:00
Published to:
The United States yesterday signed a security pact with Papua New Guinea, which gives US forces access to ports and airports in that Pacific island country of 10 million people, an area where the US intends to curb China’s growing influence.
The agreement was signed by the head of US diplomacy and the defense minister of Papua New Guinea, Win Bakri Daki, before the opening of a meeting of the US-Pacific Islands Forum, which brought together leaders of 14 South Pacific island states in Port Moresby, capital of Papua New Guinea.
According to the US State Department, this pact will allow “improve security cooperation and further strengthen bilateral relations (…) and enhance stability and security in the region”Antony Blinken stressing in turn that the two countries will have the possibility to board each other’s ships, share their knowledge and “better patrol” jointly not sea
Specifically, under the terms of this pact, the United States will gain access to the waters of Papua New Guinea and, in this sense, gain the capacity to deploy militarily in that area, along the sea routes to Australia and Japan.
In exchange, in addition to having access to information from US surveillance satellites, possibly making the fight against illegal activities on the high seas more effective, the US State Department informs that Papua New Guinea has received the promise of funding of 45 million dollars to combat organized crime, climate change, or even AIDS.
Although it was not openly mentioned when it was signed, this pact arises in a tense context at regional level.
In 2022, China, which does not hide its ambition to take control of Taiwan but also to extend its influence in the Pacific, signed a secret pact in 2022, also in the field of military cooperation with the neighboring Solomon Islands.
Reacting yesterday to the establishment of the cooperation pact between the United States and Papua New GuineaChinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said that Beijing does not oppose the “regular exchanges” between nations, but warned against using cooperation “as a pretext to get involved in geopolitical games” not Pacific.
#United #States #signs #security #pact #Papua #Guinea