WELLINGTON, July 23 (Reuters) – New Zealand and Papua New Guinea signed a defence cooperation agreement late on Wednesday, as Wellington seeks to deepen security ties in the Pacific amid growing strategic competition and China’s expanding influence.
New Zealand Defence Minister Chris Penk and his Papua New Guinea counterpart Elias Kapavore signed a Statement of Intent on Defence Cooperation for 2026-2029 in Papua New Guinea, Penk’s office said. The agreement will expand defence dialogue, training, military exercises and personnel exchanges, it said.
“In an increasingly volatile world, Pacific nations like ours are stronger when we work closely together,” Penk said in a statement.
The deal adds to a quickening push by Australia, New Zealand and the United States to lock in Pacific security ties as China expands its diplomatic, policing and infrastructure footprint across the region. Washington signed a defence cooperation agreement with PNG in 2023 that gives U.S. forces easier access for training and infrastructure work. Australia has followed security deals with PNG and Vanuatu with a new mutual-defence pact with Fiji, branded the Ocean of Peace Alliance, that officials have said could open to other Pacific nations.
The flurry of deals follows concern among Western-aligned governments that while Beijing was unable in 2022 to secure a region-wide pact with Pacific island nations, it has gained ground through policing and security ties, including with the Solomon Islands. PNG’s recent move to close Taiwan’s office in Port Moresby has further underscored the pressure on Pacific governments as they try to balance security support from traditional partners with economic ties to China.
(Reporting by Lucy CraymerEditing by Rod Nickel)
