Marape says Oz ties are strong
Papua New Guinea’s prime minister on Thursday became the first Pacific Island leader to address Australia’s parliament, vowing close ties despite everlouder overtures from China.
Hailing long relations and Australia’s pivotal role in his country’s 1975 independence, James Marape said nothing would come between the two nations.
In recent years, Beijing has tried to chip away at US and Australian influence across the South Pacific, including in Papua New Guinea.
The Pacific Islands, while small in population, are replete with natural resources and sit at a geostrategic crossroads that could prove strategically vital in any military dispute over Taiwan.
Chinese state-backed firms have poured investment into the region, while Beijing has offered much-needed loans and security aid, launching a battle for influence.
But amid suggestions that Papua New Guinea may ink a deal that would allow Chinese police to deploy to his country, and Australia’s doorstep, Mr Marape said Canberra remained an indispensable partner.
“In a world of many relations, with many nations, nothing will come in between our two countries, because we are family – through tears, blood, pain and sacrifice,” he said.
Mr Marape’s speech was warmly welcomed by Australian politicians, who gave several rounds of applause as he spoke.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said it was fitting that “the first leader of a Pacific island nation to address the Australian Parliament, ever” was from the country’s closest neighbour.
“We are there for each other as mates, especially when times are tough,” he said.
But Mr Marape’s speech was also imbued with references to the difficult colonial past between the two countries and frustration about the lack of economic development in what remains one of the AsiaPacific’s poorest nations.