Papua New Guinea is in early talks with China about a potential security and policing agreement, weeks after deadly riots in the South Pacific nation's capital, Papua New Guinea's Foreign Minister Justin Tkachenko said.
Amid the competition between Washington and Beijing for influence in the Pacific, Papua New Guinea, the largest island nation in the Pacific, said earlier that Australia and the United States are security partners while China is an important economic partner.
Port Moresby, the capital of Papua New Guinea, witnessed riots earlier in January.credit: France Press agency
Tkachenko said China contacted Papua New Guinea in September and offered to help the police force with training, equipment and surveillance technology. The talks continued last week.
He added: “We are dealing with China at this stage only on the economic and commercial levels. “They are one of our largest business partners, but they have offered to help with our policing and security work in terms of internal security,” Tkachenko said.
He added that Papua New Guinea would evaluate whether the Chinese offer replicated the security and policing assistance already provided by Australia and the United States.
He added: “Negotiations are still in the early stages with the Police Commissioner and the Minister of Homeland Security.” “They have offered it to us, but we have not accepted it at the moment.”
The Chinese Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
China is a “strong economic partner” of Papua New Guinea, and the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1975, Tkachenko said.
Papua New Guinea signed a $200 million security deal with Australia last month to strengthen police, and days later Prime Minister James Marape said at an investment conference in Sydney that he did not hold talks with China on security when he visited Beijing in October.
