By Kirsty Needham and Peter Hobson
SYDNEY/CANBERRA (Reuters) -Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape said on Thursday his nation’s economic growth would make Australia more secure, but that it also could not ignore the opportunities China that offered.
Marape was speaking during a visit to Canberra, that comes as Australia competes with China for influence and security ties in the Pacific region.
He addressed the national parliament, a first by a Pacific Island leader, where he told Australian lawmakers that PNG needs to become a self-sustaining economy.
“A strong economically empowered Papua New Guinea means a stronger and more secure Australia and Pacific,” he said in the televised speech. “In a world of many relations with many nations, nothing will come in between our two countries because we are family.”
In a speech later at the Australian National University, Marape said a close relationship with Australia and the United States did not mean Papua New Guinea could ignore the huge commercial opportunities offered by China.
“We will not compromise our relations with China just as much as we will not compromise our relations with the USA,” he said. “We also believe that someone else’s enemy is not my enemy. We maintain good relations with all nations.”
“They (China) totally respect our security arrangements with the USA, our security arrangement with Australia,” he said.
“When I went to Beijing they steered clear of security conversations. They honoured us in the economic space. That is simply because we were transparent with them, we don’t play nations against each another.”
PRIMARY PARTNER
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese highlighted the historical and geographic closeness of the two nations, and Australia’s support for PNG roads, port upgrades, clean energy and hospitals, as well as new undersea telecommunications cables.
Australia wanted to secure PNG’s future as its “primary partner”, he said.
Australia is the largest aid donor to PNG, and struck a security agreement covering policing and defence in December. Both nations count China as a major trading partner.
After deadly riots in the PNG capital Port Moresby in January during a police strike, Marape is seeking progress during his visit in implementing the A$200 million ($131 million) security and policing agreement.
In a joint statement on Thursday, Marape and Albanese said they had discussed defence and security, with A$100 million to be spent by Australia on boosting PNG’s internal security, including new police training facilities and barracks.
The statement noted deepening links between the two nations’ defence forces, including joint exercises, naval base construction and Australia’s provision of a patrol boat and two aircraft.
Earlier, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong told reporters Marape’s speech to the parliament showed Australia wanted greater engagement with the Pacific.
“We know that China is a great power asserting its interests. What we are doing is re-emphasising our part in the Pacific family and the importance of that engagement,” Wong said.
Foreign Minister Justin Tkachenko last week told Reuters that PNG had been approached by China with an offer to assist its police force with training, equipment and surveillance technology, although no decision had been made. He told the Australian Broadcast Corporation on Wednesday that PNG would not proceed with a security deal with China.
($1 = 1.5326 Australian dollars)
(Reporting by Kirsty Needham and Peter Hobson; Editing by Stephen Coates and Gerry Doyle and Miral Fahmy)
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