PNG in Talks With Beijing for the Supply of Police, Surveillance Equipment

People run with merchandise as crowds leave shops with looted goods amid a state of unrest in Port Moresby on Jan.10, 2024. (Andrew Kutan/AFP via Getty Images)

The Papua New Guinea (PNG) government has revealed that it is currently in early talks with the Chinese communist regime over a security agreement, just one month after signing a “historic” $200 million (US$132 million) deal with Australia.

On Jan. 29, PNG Foreign Minister Justin Tkachenko dropped the bombshell announcement when he said his government was considering an offer by the communist regime to provide PNG’s police force with training, equipment, and surveillance technology.

The foreign minister said the Chinese communist regime had approached the PNG government in September to promote the deal, but his government had not accepted it.

“They are one of our biggest trading partners, but they have offered to assist our policing and security on the internal security side,” he said, as reported by Reuters.

Mr. Tkachenko also noted that PNG currently only dealt with China at the “economic and trade level” and that his government would assess whether the deal offered by the communist regime overlapped with those provided by Australia and the United States.

“It is still in the early stages of negotiation with our Commissioner of Police and our Minister of Internal Security,” he said.

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“They have offered it to us, but we have not accepted it at this point in time.”

A Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesperson told The Epoch Times that the department was working actively with PNG to meet its security needs.

“Australia is Papua New Guinea’s largest economic and security partner,” the spokesperson said.

“Pacific Islands Forum Leaders share the view that the security of the Pacific is the shared responsibility of the forum family, of which Australia is part.”

Meanwhile, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Wang Wenbin told a press conference in Beijing that PNG was “China’s good friend and good partner” in the Pacific Islands and that the communist regime was willing to deepen the tie with PNG via cooperation in relevant fields.

PNG’s ‘Historic’ Security Deal with Australia

In early December 2023, PNG inked a $200 million security deal with Australia, which was touted as a “historic” pact by the country’s Prime Minister James Marape.

The deal would enhance partnerships in areas such as national security, defence, law and justice sector, border, maritime, and aviation security, critical infrastructure, cyber security, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, and the environment.

Under the agreement, PNG can request assistance from Australia and vice versa when facing security-related issues or threats affecting its sovereignty.

PNG can also recruit Australian police to serve in key positions in the PNG police force.

Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (3rd R) participates in an official signing ceremony with Papua New Guinea's Prime Minister James Marape (C) in Canberra, Australia, on Dec. 7, 2023. (Hilary Wardhaugh/AFP via Getty Images)

The Pacific country, which is only a few kilometres to Australia’s north, is currently struggling with domestic security issues, including intertribal violence, corruption, and gender-based violence.

On Jan. 10, the PNG government declared a state of emergency when a riot broke out in the country’s capital of Port Moresby, causing 16 deaths.

What started as a demonstration by police, defence, and other public servants over a payroll issue soon escalated into a riot when crowds of people engaged in arson, vandalism, and looting.

The security pact between PNG and Australia came as Beijing continued to expand its influence in the Indo-Pacific, a region with significant strategic interest.

The Chinese communist regime has aimed to overthrow the influence of the United States and Australia and establish a security presence in the region.

In April 2022, Beijing signed a security deal with the Pacific nation Solomon Islands that could open the door for the communist regime to station troops and weapons in the region.

The deal sparked strong objections from Australia and the United States, with then-Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison warning that Beijing would cross a “red line” if it set up a military base in the Solomon Islands.

Nina Nguyen contributed to this article.