A purported pact: China’s quest for security foothold in Papua New Guinea

3 April 2024

Papua New Guinea (PNG), a country at the centre of the tug-of-war for influence in the Pacific between the West and China, is at the forefront of China’s latest attempt to secure a greater presence in the region.

In recent times, the Pacific has received heightened attention from global powers, from the United States hosting an exclusive annual Pacific Island Leaders Summit, to Australia’s commitment to safeguarding Tuvalu’s security affairs, and to China’s expansion of the Belt and Road Initiative. There is no shortage of foreign relations engagements for Pacific Island Countries (PICs).

However, while the big players try to cushion PICs into favourable mutual relations, countries like PNG are using their newfound global clout to scrutinise the sudden scuffle of interest.

A country in need of security

PNG is no stranger to development challenges and remains one of the largest recipients of foreign aid. It is the top receiver of Australian aid. Despite the assistance, PNG continues to struggle with its internal affairs, particularly internal security.

Throughout its history, PNG has grappled with recurring challenges in addressing the difficult law and order situation across the country. This continues to feature prominently among the country’s development issues. Notably, PNG endured a decade-long internal conflict (1988-1998) after successionist rebels in the now Autonomous Region of Bougainville contested the government’s management of the Panguna mine.

As much is yet to be seen with the Australian and US pacts, a potential pact with China should cater to PNG’s problems, rather than solely serving as a solution to China’s strategic positioning in the Pacific.

Today, PNG faces conventional challenges such as crime, ineffective law and order systems, and climate change, to deadly tribal warfare and a nationwide fuel crisis, PNG’s internal security situation is volatile and in need of serious solutions.

Just one week into 2024, PNG’s capital, Port Moresby, fell victim to widespread looting and civil unrest which claimed the lives of at least 16 people. What started as a pay dispute between the police and government on Wednesday, 10 January, quickly escalated into chaos after police walked off the job in protest against apparent pay deductions to police officers.

Many of the city’s supermarkets and shopping outlets were either ransacked or burnt by opportunists, causing widespread destruction in the wake of the unrest, and forcing many businesses to lay off staff. Port Moresby’s Chamber of Commerce estimates the damage to be in the hundreds of millions of US Dollars, and the destruction further puts PNG’s investor confidence in contention.

Before Prime Minister James Marape’s government could fully grasp the effects of what is now described as ‘Black Wednesday’, over 50 people were killed in tribal fights in Enga Province of PNG’s Highlands region on 18 February. Although tribal warfare is not new to this area, the introduction of high-powered firearms obtained illegally has exacerbated and intensified the violence.

Packing the pacts

Considering PNG’s volatile security situation, it is no surprise that global powers are promoting enhanced relations with great emphasis on assisting with PNG’s security needs. In May 2023, PNG signed a historic defence cooperation agreement (DCA) with the United States, encompassing greater military training, maritime monitoring activities, and logistical support.

Not long after, Australia and PNG finalised their Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) during the Prime Minister’s state visit to Canberra in December 2023. The agreement covers “full circle support for Papua New Guinea’s internal security, from police to courts to correctional services. This includes initiatives that reflect the Bilateral Security Agreement’s focus on climate change, gender-based violence and cyber”. Crucially, Australia committed AUD 200 million (USD 121 million) towards the agreement which has proven to be beneficial in displaying their level of commitment toward PNG’s security landscape through a legally binding framework.

With Australia and the United States having their security pacts with PNG, China finds itself on the outskirts of PNG’s security agenda. In comparison, PNG’s Melanesian neighbour, the Solomon Islands, has forged strong ties with China after signing a security agreement with the country in 2022. It was this security pact that essentially accelerated the efforts of Australia and the West to enhance their presence in the Pacific.

China’s offer to PNG

For the most part, discussions between China and PNG had primarily focused on trade and commerce rather than security issues. It was not until the destruction on 10 January, which saw over a dozen Chinese-owned businesses being ransacked and destroyed, that China’s offer to provide security assistance to the island nation became a topic of discussion.

The loss suffered by Chinese businesses prompted the Chinese Foreign Ministry to issue a stern condemnation to PNG on the safety risk posed to Chinese nationals by the looting and the potential for further unrest.

In an interview with Reuters on 29 January, PNG’s Foreign Affairs Minister Justin Tkatchenko confirmed that China had offered to provide security assistance to PNG during Prime Minister Marape’s visit to Beijing in September 2023. Despite this, Minister Tkatchenko said: “We deal with China at this stage only at economic and trade level. They are one of our biggest trading partners, but they have offered to assist our policing and security on the internal security side”.

PNG prioritises its economic partnership with China over a security one, as it knows it can leverage more from its traditional partners like Australia, which have longstanding influence in the security sphere. Notably, China has only one security pact in the Pacific with PNG’s close maritime neighbour Solomon Islands. In 2022, China failed to reach a consensus with a number of PICs in an umbrella security and economic pact, after PICs argued it would threaten regional stability.

Even though Tkatchenko did not announce anything substantive other than “talks”, the mere mention of security discussions with China was enough to raise eyebrows among PNG’s other partners. In response, Australia’s foreign affairs spokesperson stated: “Australia is Papua New Guinea’s largest economic and security partner. We are working actively with PNG to meet its needs across the security sector”. Following these comments, Minister Tkatchenko seemingly backtracked on the level of talks with China and reassured PNG’s traditional partners.

While PNG’s pacts with the US and Australia are legally binding, there are no constraints placed on PNG entering into a similar agreement with China, which would result in a tripartite security agreement arrangement for PNG and as such be the first in the region. Article 5 of the BSA even states that Australia and PNG shall consult each other in the event a security threat happens in either country or the Pacific, or if there is an “external armed attack” on either country. As it stands, the purported pact with China remains shrouded in mystery, including whether both nations are still actively discussing the proposition.

‘Friends to all’ amid geopolitical tensions

According to Meg Keen and Alan Tidwell’s policy brief for the Lowy Institute, many PICs are choosing to maintain relations with all countries and refuse to pick a side. For PNG, Prime Minister Marape continues to maintain his foreign policy of “Friends to all, enemies to none”. Like his counterparts across the Pacific, Marape advocates for open relations with both China and traditional partners but is selective regarding the extent of involvement by certain countries.

The geopolitical contest between China and the US continues to send waves in the Pacific. But as outlined by Ilan Kiloe in The Interpreter, some in the region believe that big topics such as pacts, treaties, and agreements are only relevant if they can actually address local challenges.

While PNG is benefiting from the two security pacts aimed at improving the country’s law and order problems, it continues to grapple with a difficult and challenging internal security situation. As much is yet to be seen with the Australian and US pacts, a potential pact with China should cater to PNG’s problems, rather than solely serving as a solution to China’s strategic positioning in the Pacific.

At the time of this report’s publication, there has been no developments regarding the purported security pact with China.

DISCLAIMER: All views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent that of the 9DASHLINE.com platform.

Author biography

Thierry Lepani is a political journalist from Papua New Guinea, with extensive experience covering PNG's political scene. He worked at the Post-Courier, one of two PNG daily newspapers, as a political journalist alongside local and international media professionals and specialises in investigative reports and advocates for development in PNG's media industry.

Thierry Lepani is currently based in Australia studying International Relations and Politics as well as Media and Communication at the University of Canberra. He worked for ABC's Pacific Beat radio programme in the past year. He writes a weekly column titled 'Pacific Pivot' featured in the Post-Courier, focusing on regional geopolitics. Image credit: Flickr/U.S. Department of State.