US joins Australian plan to develop new naval base

The United States will join Pacific ally Australia to build a naval base on Papua New Guinea’s Manus Island, US Vice President Mike Pence said, amid a push by regional powers to lock in alliances and secure access to key infrastructure.

The plan, which comes on the heels of China’s emergence as a possible developer of the deep-water site, was unveiled on Saturday at a Asia-Pacific forum hosted by Papua New Guinea (PNG) where world leaders voiced competing visions on how trade should be conducted in the region. Analysts say a Chinese presence on Manus Island could impact the West’s ability to navigate the Pacific while offering Beijing close access to US bases in Guam.

Manus Island was a major US naval base during the Second World War, playing a key role in Washington’s Pacific strategy. Recently, it has hosted one of Australia’s two controversial offshore immigration detention centres. Pence said the United States would partner with Australia and PNG on the Manus Island port project.

“We will work with these nations to protect the sovereignty and maritime rights of Pacific islands as well,” Pence said. “And you can be confident, the US will continue to uphold the freedom of the seas and the skies.”

Australia, a staunch US ally, has for decades enjoyed largely unrivalled influence in the Pacific until China recently turned its attention to the region. The United States has had a long-running dispute with China over maritime routes in the South China Sea.