On February 5, US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Verma called on Papua New Guinea (PNG) to reject China's offer of a potential security treaty.
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| China is trying to 'intervene' in the security relationship between Papua New Guinea and the US. (Source: Gzeromedia) |
“We see that China’s commitment to defense or investment comes at a high cost. That’s what we want to say to PNG,” Deputy Minister Verma said in a newly published interview with the Sydney Morning Herald , Reuters reported.
The US and its ally Australia have had a presence in the Pacific for decades, but China is also seeking to increase its influence in the region, signing a security treaty with the Solomon Islands in 2022.
Last week, PNG Foreign Minister Justin Tkachenko said the country would soon enter talks with China on a potential security agreement.
According to him, China approached PNG in September 2023 with an offer to support the police force in terms of training, equipment support and surveillance technology. Negotiations between the two sides are still ongoing.
However, while affirming that it has not agreed to Beijing's proposal, PNG will assess whether the proposal is similar to the security and policy support that Australia and the US have offered, and pledged not to do anything that would jeopardize the defense and security relationship with Canberra and Washington.
Foreign Minister Tkachenko affirmed: "At this stage, we only cooperate with Beijing in the economic and trade fields. China is one of PNG's largest trading partners."
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