By Wu Qiaoxi | 2025-10-14

Amid increasing geopolitical tensions in the Pacific and instability in Papua New Guinea (PNG), Australia is solidifying its regional role with a new security arrangement.

On October 6, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and PNG Prime Minister James Marape signed the Pukpuk Treaty (also known as the Papua New Guinea-Australia Mutual Defense Treaty) in Canberra.

The treaty owes its name to the Tok Pisin word for "crocodile," pukpuk, symbolizing resilience and guardianship. Marape called it a "historic milestone."

It comes after years of China trying to build strategic and economic influence in Australia's back yard.

The signing took place amid lingering instability within PNG. Last year, riots broke out in the capital, Port Moresby, forcing Marape to declare a state of emergency. Since then, poor but resource-rich rural provinces have suffered repeated outbreaks of clan violence, which continue to this day.

'Two houses with one fence'

Described as protecting "two houses with one fence," the Pukpuk Treaty positions Australia as PNG's "security partner of choice." The pact showcases "trust and caution," Radio New Zealand noted.

It covers training, intelligence sharing, disaster relief and maritime cooperation, while fully respecting sovereignty.

The treaty promises to strengthen the PNG Defense Force by providing joint training opportunities, upgrading infrastructure and improving maritime surveillance capabilities.

Marape emphasized the historical and geographical ties between PNG and Australia, explaining that the treaty "was not conceived out of geopolitics or any other reason." He compared it to "one bigger fence that secures two houses that has its own yard space."

At a joint news conference, Albanese described the signing as a "historic day" for both nations.

The mutual defense provisions are "similar" to those in the ANZUS treaty among Australia, New Zealand and the United States, he said.

"This is Australia's first new alliance in more than 70 years," said Albanese.

Safeguarding PNG sovereignty

The Pukpuk Treaty once sparked concerns in PNG that it might lead to renewed postcolonial dependency. However, PNG cooperation with Australia is an independent strategic decision, not a matter of "choosing sides" but about strengthening mutual capacity through trust, said Marape.

"This choice was made not out of pressure or convenience but from the heart and soul of our coexistence as neighbors," Marape explained.

"Our cooperation is built on mutual respect, not dominance; on trust, not imposition. Australia never imposed this on us ... we thank them for walking with us as equal partners," he said.

"It's easy to see why [PNG] would link up with Australia; it's the biggest donor and player in the Pacific," Ginger Cruz, a political science lecturer at the University of Guam, told the South China Morning Post.

Caution from China

Inevitably, talk turned to China, which has been a rival to Australia for Indo-Pacific influence.

The two countries are PNG's top trade partners.

Marape specifically mentioned China, stating: "This is not a treaty that sets up enemies but consolidates friendships, and China, we've been transparent, we have told them that Australia has become our security partner of choice, and they understand our alliances here."

China's embassy in Port Moresby responded cautiously.

It "respects the independent choices of Pacific nations," the embassy said adding that "regional security frameworks should not become exclusive blocs."

Australia counteracting China

The Pukpuk Treaty is a milestone in Australia's more active Pacific policy that the Turnbull government of 2015–2018 launched, Sam Roggeveen, the International Security Program director at the Lowy Institute in Sydney, wrote on The Interpreter.

Article 5 of the Pukpuk Treaty creates "an additional barrier" to any bases or rotational deployments that could bolster China's military presence in the Pacific, he said.

"The Parties agree they shall not put in place activities, agreements or arrangements with third parties that would compromise their ability to implement this Treaty," the article states.

Australia's objective is to stay ahead in the regional competition for influence, rather than to shut out China, said Roggeveen.

In recent years, China has courted nations in the South Pacific through security agreements, diplomatic ties and economic engagement. Many of them, including the Solomon Islands, have strengthened ties with Beijing. That momentum has shifted regional dynamics, not to Canberra's liking.

In response, Australia is reinforcing its leadership in the region, buttressing ties with Pacific island nations by pursuing security and climate agreements with Fiji and Vanuatu and signing a landmark climate migration treaty with Tuvalu that offers visas and resettlement for those displaced by the climate crisis.