Melbourne, Australia — MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Papua New Guinea will get its own team in Australian rugby league through a soft diplomatic deal announced Thursday aimed at limiting China’s influence in the South Pacific.
The Australian government plans to spend A$600 million ($380 million) over 10 years to add teams from its nearest neighbor to the National Rugby League from 2028.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister James Marape announced the deal at a Sydney press conference. They also announced that a bilateral security agreement signed a year ago has officially entered into force.
China has been pushing for bilateral security agreements on security with Papua New Guinea and other South Pacific island nations that are feared by U.S. allies, including Australia.
Rugby league is the most popular sport in Papua New Guinea. The region is home to 12 million poor people, mostly subsistence farmers, and is struggling with tribal warfare, worsening violent crime and civil unrest.
Marape said the security deal with Australia “fits neatly” into ensuring the safety of players and officials based in the capital, Port Moresby.
“When there is a good relationship between the two police forces, the players are safe,” Marape said.
Albaine did not directly answer a reporter’s question about whether the agreement would prevent Papua New Guinea from signing a security agreement with China.
“Security in the Pacific region is primarily the responsibility of the Pacific family and a principle we share,” Albanese said.
Marape said the security agreement with Australia was in his country’s interests.
“Australia was chosen as our preferred security partner,” Marape said.
“That doesn’t stop us from engaging with any country, especially our Asian neighbors. “For example, we have a relationship with China, which is a great trading partner and a great bilateral partner, but in terms of security, being closer to home provides synergies, and our shared territory needs to be protected, defended and policed,” Marape said. added:
But the Australian government later said the rugby league deal was underpinned by a “strategic trust” agreement between the two governments.
Under the terms of the agreement, Australia can withdraw funding and if Australia’s trust is breached the National Rugby League must exclude Papua New Guinea teams from competition, Minister for International Development and Pacific Pat Conroy said. ) said.
Conroy said the details of the trust agreement were confidential, but Papua New Guinea Foreign Minister Justin Tkachenko said he had publicly ruled out any security deal with China.
Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter V’landys said the Papua New Guinea government would never jeopardize Australian taxpayers’ support for the team by signing a security deal with China.
“Rugby league is Papua New Guinea’s religion, so we would never risk losing our rugby league team to trade with another country,” V’landys said.
Marape described the deal to create a Port Moresby-based football team as “…pivotal in anchoring” Papua New Guinea-Australia relations.
The security agreement signed by Albanese and Marape a year ago strengthened Australia’s position as a preferred security partner. It was signed six months later than originally planned.
The date, originally set for June 2023, was canceled after a security agreement signed between the United States and Marape’s government sparked protests in the South Pacific nation a month ago over concerns it undermined Papua New Guinea’s sovereignty.
