PNG Pact Pushes Australia’s Security Frontier to the Edge of the South China Sea: Analyst
Udumbara
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A new security pact with Papua New Guinea (PNG) effectively expands Australia’s security influence to the edge of the South China Sea, according to one security analyst. After months of delays, the “Puk Puk” security pact was signed on Oct. 6, elevating ties between both nations to the same level as Australia with the United States and New Zealand.
The deal means Australia or PNG have to come to the defence of one another in the event of an invasion.
It’s the first such new alliance for Australia in over 70 years, and the third after the United States and New Zealand. It is also the first of its kind for PNG, the largest and most populous of the Pacific nations outside of Australia and New Zealand.
“The treaty’s greatest significance is that [it] demonstrates Australia’s commitment to security cooperation with its northern neighbours,” said Carl Schuster, an instructor in the Department of History at Hawaii Pacific University.
“For example, China has established a security agreement with the Solomon Islands and is investing heavily in Fiji and Samoa. This agreement marks Australia’s growing effort to counter China’s initiative and influence,” he told The Epoch Times. “[Australia] also has a security agreement with Indonesia. This [PNG] agreement extends Australia’s security to the boundaries of the South China Sea and represents a southern anchor to its security cooperation with the Philippines.”
Schuster said the deal also gives PNG assurance against “bullying” from the Chinese Communist Party, while also helping to deal with criminal issues like piracy, human smuggling, and unlicensed resource exploitation.
Leaders of both countries called the treaty a historic moment, with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese naming it “a great honour.”
PNG Prime Minister James Marape said Australia has always been the partner of choice.
“We made a strategic call, a conscious choice, that Australia will be our security partner of choice, and that choice for the life in me I will never live to regret,” he said.
Beijing had threatened PNG not to sign the treaty.
Pacific Islands Balancing Relations Between Both Sides
The south-west Pacific region is a critical area for Australia and the United States, said Mark Cao, a military and aerospace commentator. “Australia has long been the largest donor and security guarantor for Pacific Island nations. In order to counter the influence of the CCP in the region, Australia introduced the Pacific Policing Initiative, which was unanimously approved by the Pacific Islands Forum in 2024,” Cao said.
He also referred to the security agreement Australia signed with Nauru in late 2024, in which Australia agreed to provide $100 million (US$65.9 million) in financial aid over five years to the small island.
In return, Nauru pledged that before signing any bilateral agreements related to maritime security, defence, and law enforcement, it would need approval from Australia. “As the strategic competition between China and the U.S.-Australia alliance intensifies, these Pacific Island nations are also strengthening their bilateral and multilateral diplomatic engagements with major powers, attempting to strike a balance between them,” Cao said.
Strengthening US Influence
Meanwhile, Schuster said it was not clear how the agreement could impact any potential conflict in the Taiwan Strait.
“China may interpret it to mean Australia may attempt to acquire staging bases for strikes on PRC-occupied islands during a conflict over the South China Sea. Of course, the same operations could serve to divert PLA resources from operations against Taiwan,” he said.
“It strengthens the strategic position of Australia and as an American ally, what strengthens Australian security reinforces American efforts to sustain the international rule of law in the Western Pacific.”
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