Papua New Guinea's prime minister becomes the first Pacific leader to address Australia's parliament
ABC News
Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape has become the first Pacific leader to address Australia’s parliament
SYDNEY -- Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape on Thursday become the first Pacific leader to address Australia’s parliament, vowing “nothing will come in between our two countries.”
The nations announced that Australia will spend AU $100 million (US $65.3 million) on Papua New Guinea’s internal security, including the development of a police recruiting and investigation training facility and a police barracks.
The speech, Marape's meeting with Australian counterpart, Anthony Albanese, and the neighbors' release of details of a security pact signed in December, come as Pacific nations deal with China’s growing ambitions.
Resource-rich Papua New Guinea has rebuffed overtures from China, which struck a security pact with Solomon Islands in 2022 that caused worry among some in the region.
Papua New Guinea, which is in a strategically important part of the South Pacific, struggles with tribal violence and civil unrest and wants to increase its police numbers from 6,000 officers to 26,000. Anger over high unemployment and cost of living led to rioting and looting last month in its two biggest cities.
