U.S. Defense Secretary, Lloyd Austin has met with James Marape, the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea.
Austin is the first U.S. Defense Secretary to visit Papua New Guinea, a nation of 10 million people.
In their meeting held on Thursday, July 27, 2023, Austin and Marape discussed implementing the Defense Cooperation Agreement (DCA) which was signed by U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken in the capital, Port Moresby, in May.
Marape voiced that the Defense Cooperation Agreement, which is yet to be ratified by Parliament, formalized the ad-hoc relationship that Papua New Guinea already had with the U.S. military.
Though the Papua New Guinean parliament is yet to ratify the defence deal, it has been questioned by some opposition politicians concerned about upsetting the country’s major trading partner, China.
Nonetheless, Austin asserted that the United States was “not seeking permanent basing” on Papua New Guinea but would help the country expand its military capability, modernize its forces and increase their interoperability with the U.S. military.
“The Indo-Pacific is our priority theater and partnerships like ours are critical to keeping this vital region free and open.”
Lloyd Austin
Also, Marape dismissed the idea of establishing a bilateral security agreement with Beijing, saying, Papua New Guinea’s relationship with China would remain economic.
The Chinese “have not made any request to us for military relationships,” Marape averred.
Marape added that the Chinese government through its embassy in Papua New Guinea said that it had “no issue whatsoever with us signing the DCA with the U.S.A.”
The United States has increased its diplomatic focus on the Pacific since China signed a security pact last year with Papua New Guinea’s neighbor, Solomon Islands.
The signing of that agreement sparked student protests in Papua New Guinea’s second-largest city, Lae. Many in the Pacific are concerned about the increasing militarization of the region.
Marape divulged that U.S. Defense Department officials would visit Lae in September to plan upgrading infrastructure. Papua New Guinea wants fuel storage facilities and energy security to receive priority in a 15-year infrastructure plan.
Additionally, Austin said that Papua New Guinea would be provided with a U.S. Coast Guard cutter next month to help enforce maritime law.
Papua New Guinea Not A “Launching Pad” For Offenses
Moreover, Marape stated that his people were “hypersensitive” to the possibility the U.S. could wage war against China from Papua New Guinea.
He added that the U.S. does not need Papua New Guinea “to be a launching pad for any offense anywhere else in the world.”
“They have bases in Philippines, in Korea, elsewhere, much closer to China,” he said.
“I want to give assurance to everyone here, including our friends from Asia, that this is not about setting up for war. Rather, it’s about setting up presence for nation-building in Papua New Guinea and this part of Planet Earth and in the Pacific.”
James Marape
Marape also averred that his government places high priority on diplomacy.
“In the Pacific we are not about war, we are about peace, tolerance and of course promoting our values of democracy, Christianity … The USA has always been showing that character also in their global footprint.”
James Marape
Meanwhile, Austin and U.S Secretary of state, Antony Blinken are scheduled to go to Brisbane, Australia, for annual bilateral talks on Friday, July 28, 2023 and Saturday, July 29, 2023 with their Australian counterparts.
Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese disclosed that he would also meet the two American officials on Friday.
