China has issued a stern warning to Papua New Guinea to not sign a new security deal with Australia that Beijing said would compromise the country’s sovereignty, in the latest sign of rising geopolitical tensions in the Pacific.
Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese travelled to PNG this week to sign the Pukpuk Treaty, which would have upgraded existing ties between the neighbouring countries to a full security alliance, including a mutual obligation to defend each other in the event of an attack.
However, the formal signing of the treaty was deferred, with Albanese and James Marape, Papua New Guinea’s prime minister, only agreeing the terms of the full treaty. The leaders said it would be signed at a later date, which was not specified.