‘We stand with Australia’: PNG drives defence pact amid China push

Port Moresby’s enthusiasm for a defence treaty with Australia is a strategic win for the federal government that could serve as a prototype for other Pacific Island nations.

PNG Defence Minister Billy Joseph at the 2025 ASPI Defence Conference in Canberra on Wednesday. Picture: Australian Strategic Policy Institute

Papua New Guinea’s push for a defence treaty with Canberra sends a message to all competing interests in the region that the ­Pacific nation “stands with Australia” and supports the international rules-based order, PNG’s Defence Minister said in a landmark speech that nails the country’s security ­allegiances to the mast.

Speaking at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute defence conference in Canberra on Wednesday, Billy Joseph said the ­recent circumnavigation of Australia by Chinese People’s Liberation Army navy ships, which also entered PNG waters, had underlined the potential threats faced by Pacific nations.

“We, like everybody else, have a very strong economic partnership with China,” Mr Joseph said.

“And I’m sure Australia also has the same, same as the US and everybody. But when it comes to security, we choose our traditional partners, which is Australia (and the) US.

“For us, the economy and ­security are intertwined, and we can’t separate one from the other. Therein lies opportunity as well as risks … that countries can use economy as a means to push the security interest. And that’s ­already happening,” he added, in unusually frank comments about Chinese economic coercion in the region.

Mr Joseph said Australia and PNG were “tied at the hips”, not only by their geographical proximity but by a shared history of hardship and resilience during World War II. “That is why we have proposed from the PNG side that we should have a defence treaty,” he said.

“We send a message with all these competing interests in the region that PNG stands with Australia and those countries that share the same values … countries that subscribe to international rules based order and a free and open Indo-Pacific.”

The Defence Minister’s comments represent a significant shift in public messaging for PNG, the Pacific Island region’s largest ­nation, and a win for the federal government amid intensifying geopolitical rivalry with China that could set a precedent for its dealings with other Pacific island states.

Australia has been pushing for years for a legally binding defence treaty with PNG – a country with vast maritime zones that lies just 4km from Australia at its closest point – but was forced to settle for a downgraded bilateral security agreement in 2023 because of PNG reservations over such a commitment.

That it is now the PNG government pushing for the treaty – its first since it gained independence from Australia 50 years ago – reflects both rapidly changing global circumstances and Prime Minister James Marape’s ambitions to build up his country’s defence forces so that it can be a key contributor to regional security.

“It’s a huge step and in terms of the rest of the region it puts PNG as the most closely aligned (nation) to Australia on regional security interests,” said Lowy Institute Pacific Islands program ­director Mihai Sora.

“Australia has always been the preferred security partner of the region, but Pacific Island leaders have been reluctant to go out on a limb and say so publicly, particularly in recent years as China’s economic influence has grown throughout the region.

“So this is a huge change in public messaging and not something Canberra would be used to hearing from a Pacific leader.”

Mr Joseph said defence officials from both sides had made good progress on the treaty and would meet in Brisbane next week to begin discussions on a “zero draft”.

The agreement is expected to build on growing bilateral defence engagement that includes preliminary discussions on Papua New Guineans serving in the ADF as Australian soldiers, and the inclusion of PNG as a host nation for elements of Australia’s annual Talisman Sabre defence exercises this year.

Crucially, it could also include a legally binding commitment – similar to clauses in recently signed bilateral agreements with Tuvalu and Nauru – for both countries to consult each other on security issues, or before entering into security relationships with third parties.

While treaty talks come in the wake of a significant boost in ­Australian investment in PNG through a $600m rugby league initiative and $570m in recent budget support, Mr Sora said the high-level defence agreement was “something Australia can replicate elsewhere” without necessarily committing to huge boosts in spending.

“If it all works out that’s what I would see as the next step; how else can we elevate other existing security relationships,” he said.

Still, the process to get the treaty may not be straightforward given potential political sensitivities that Beijing may seek to exploit in order to derail the process.

“Both want to be seen to be signing something around the anniversary of PNG independence (on September 16) so there is some risk they may settle for less for the sake of the photo event,” Mr Sora said.

“How (the PNG government) socialise the benefits of this to the PNG public will be one of the biggest obstacles.

“Whether it’s general political dissent or manufactured dissent China will have an interest in derailing this agreement. (Beijing) will be looking to maximise any legitimate resistance.”