By AFP and Focus | 2025-09-17

PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea -- Australia and Papua New Guinea (PNG) failed to sign a long-awaited mutual defense treaty as expected on September 17, as Canberra seeks to deepen ties with Pacific nations and counter Beijing's rising influence.

The deal, known as the Pukpuk treaty, was set to see the two nations commit to defending each other from armed attacks as they face "emerging threats" to their security, according to a copy seen by AFP.

It was widely expected to be signed by leaders Anthony Albanese and James Marape in Port Moresby. But the two sides instead said the signing would take place "following Cabinet processes in both countries."

They signed a joint communique instead.

Albanese played down the delay, telling Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) it had been a "busy week" in PNG and that the wait was "perfectly understandable." He added that "the wording has been agreed to" and predicted the deal would be signed "in coming weeks."

Benefits for PNG if it signs

The pact, if signed, would bring benefits to PNG citizens and their country at large.

It will allow Australia to recruit soldiers from PNG and vice versa, as well as provide a pathway for PNG citizens to gain Australian citizenship by serving in the Australian Defence Force, PNG Defense Minister Billy Joseph said.

Marape told ABC there was "no sticking point" and said PNG's cabinet would soon approve the pact: "We're not running a military dictatorship here; we're a democracy."

It was PNG, not Australia, that had pushed for the alliance, he said: "It's in our shared interests that our defense forces are interoperable. My number one task is to protect the country."

The two sides agreed to "strengthening and expanding defense cooperation through enhanced capability, interoperability and integration," according to their communique.

The pact would elevate PNG to become Australia's third security alliance partner after the United States and New Zealand. "What this does is formalize what I think is a common sense position resulting from our history and resulting from our geography," said Marape.

The treaty will ensure that "any activities, agreements or arrangements with third parties would not compromise the ability of either of the Parties to implement the Treaty," a nod to China's growing influence in the Pacific.

"External players" tried to derail the pact, Joseph said. Marape brushed aside questions on Beijing's role, saying: "Let's give respect to China; it has been an enduring friend, [but] China also knows clearly: we have our security partners of choice."

The still-unsigned agreement came 50 years after PNG gained independence from Australia.

2nd disappointment in month for Canberra

Its failure to be signed is the second time this month that Albanese has left a Pacific island nation without clinching a key deal. Earlier, he walked away from talks in Vanuatu without a final agreement, after Prime Minister Jotham Napat raised concerns over restrictions on accessing "critical infrastructure" funds.

Canberra has stepped up its engagement with the Pacific region to counter Beijing's growing footprint.

China has committed billions of dollars to Pacific nations over the past decade, funding hospitals, sports stadiums, roads and other public works to win favor. That approach has seen Solomon Islands, Kiribati and Nauru sever diplomatic ties with Taiwan in recent years.

Both countries have "strong incentives to elevate their security cooperation" during a period of intense geopolitical stress, said Mihai Sora of the Lowy Institute in Sydney, referring to Australia and PNG.

PNG, to Australia's north, is the largest and most populous state in Melanesia.

China would lose out from Australian-PNG treaty

"China is the only party that would stand to lose from a mutual defense arrangement between Australia and Papua New Guinea," Sora added, referring to a "diplomatic knife fight in the Pacific" between Canberra and Beijing.

The treaty technically remains under negotiation until signed, Don Rothwell, a legal scholar at Australian National University in Canberra, told ABC.

"If the PNG cabinet requests some change to the language to the text of the treaty, that remains possible," he said.