US Secures Defense Pact With Papua New Guinea Amid China Concerns

US Secures Defense Pact With Papua New Guinea Amid China Concerns
Papua New Guinea's Prime Minister James Marape speaks as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken looks on during a joint press conference following the U.S.-Pacific Islands Forum at the APEC Haus in Port Moresby on May 22, 2023. Andrew Kutan/AFP via Getty Images
|Updated:
0:00

The United States and Papua New Guinea (PNG) signed a defense cooperation agreement on Monday to solidify their bilateral ties as the U.S. attempts to push back China’s influence in the Pacific region.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with PNG Prime Minister James Marape in Port Moresby on behalf of President Joe Biden, whose planned trip was canceled due to debt limit talks in Washington.