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China Warns Papua New Guinea Over Australian Defense Deal

China cautioned Papua New Guinea against "undermining" its interests and sovereignty in signing a mutual defense pact with Australia widely seen as a counter to Beijing's growing influence in the Pacific. Australia and Papua New Guinea this week agreed on the ...

Australia, Papua New Guinea Delay Mutual Defense Treaty

Australia and Papua New Guinea will not sign a long-awaited mutual defense treaty as expected on Wednesday, the two countries said. The deal was set to see the two nations commit to defending each other from armed attacks as they face ...

Papua New Guinea, Australia Will Commit to Mutual Defense to Counter “Emerging Threats”

A new defense treaty between Australia and Papua New Guinea commits to defending each other if they are attacked in the face of "emerging threats", a copy of the deal seen by AFP on Tuesday showed. The pact -- seen as ...

Pacific Military Exercises Reveal Global South Countries’ Complex Choices

The Philippines joined other Global South countries like Fiji, Papua New Guinea, and Tonga in the U.S.-led Talisman Sabre military exercises currently taking place in Australia. The exercise, dubbed “the Olympics of war games,” has grown rapidly since its inception in ...

U.S. Aid Freeze Creates New Opening for China in the South Pacific

Donald Trump's foreign aid freeze has halted vital projects in the South Pacific, aid workers, and analysts say, risking lives and hurting U.S. efforts to woo the region. Disaster-prone, isolated, and threatened by rising seas, tropical Pacific island states are some ...

Analysis from Cobus van Staden

The G20 Summit and the Half-Life of a Joke

When it was announced in 2023 that the African Union would become a full member of the G20, I darkly joked on a podcast that the AU’s entry into the body could very well mark the moment the G20 lost its status as one of the most important global coordination forums. Mark my words, I said, soon The Economist will be like “Uhhh, the G20 is OVER – it’s the ...

Australia to Spend $385 Million on Papua New Guinea Rugby League Team With Eye on China

Australia will spend $385 million to establish a team from Papua New Guinea in its rugby league competition, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Thursday, a move designed to help ward off China. Papua New Guinea has long lobbied for a side ...

Xi Says ‘Saddened’ by PNG Landslide, Offers Assistance

China's President Xi Jinping said Monday he was "saddened" to learn of a landslide disaster in Papua New Guinea and offered help to the Pacific island nation. Papua New Guinea's authorities say more than 2,000 people have been buried in a ...

Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands Illustrate Striking Divide in South Pacific Country Allegiances

Leaders from Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands are making it clear where their loyalties lie as China and the West jockey for influence in the strategically important South Pacific. Papua New Guinea signed a defense agreement with the U.S. ...

Three Pacific Islands Leaders to Skip Annual Bloc Summit Amid China-U.S. Rivalry

The leaders of Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu and Solomon Islands will not attend this week's annual Pacific Islands Forum, hampering the consensus-based group’s efforts to project unity as China and the United States jockey for influence in the region. The three ...

Xi’s Speed Diplomacy on the Sidelines of the Belt and Road Forum

Xi Jinping’s presence at the Belt and Road Forum was dominated by his keynote address during which he announced a raft of new initiatives. However, he also engaged in speedy rounds of bilateral meetings and hosted a banquet on Tuesday night. ...

Papua New Guinea, Micronesia to Sign Agreement With U.S. as Pacific Island Countries Increasingly Take Sides in Great Power Rivalry

Pacific Island Countries (PIC) are the current focal point in the escalating competition for influence between the United States and China around the world. Both Papua New Guinea (PNG) and Micronesia signed defense agreements with the United States on Monday during ...

Biden’s Canceled Trip Framed as All About China

U.S. President Joe Biden’s decision to cut his Asia-Pacific trip short to deal with debt ceiling negotiations with Republican counterparts is drawing criticism. After attending the G7 summit in Hiroshima, Japan, Biden would have been the first U.S. president to visit Papua New ...
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