Australia seals PNG rugby deal to counter Chinese influence

Papua New Guinea is set to enter Australia's National Rugby League in 2028, after signing a security deal with Australia.

Australia will provide Papua New Guinea, also referred to as PNG, 600 million Australian dollars ($382 million, or €363 million) over 10 years to support their team's entry to the NRL.

In return, PNG signed a confidential security pact with Australia that is meant to stop China from gaining a security foothold in the Pacific nation, according to a report by Australia's public broadcaster.

PNG downplays security deal

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his PNG counterpart James Marape announced the deal, which won't be released publicly, on Thursday at a Sydney news conference. 

Marape said the security pact with Australia "fits in neatly" with ensuring the safety of players and downplayed the significance of the agreement, saying it simply reaffirmed Australia as PNG's top security partner.

PNG has long maintained that it chooses Australia and the US as its top security partner and chooses China as a trading and economic partner.

Australia ramps up security deals with Pacific Island nations

Australia's deal with PNG is the second security deal it has struck with a Pacific island nation this week alone, as China and the US both jostle for influence in the Pacific.

Albanese did not directly answer when asked by a reporter if the agreement would prevent Papua New Guinea from striking a security deal with China.

“Security in the Pacific is primarily the responsibility of the Pacific family is a principle that we share,” Albanese said.

Rugby league is also the most popular sport in PNG, which has a population of about 12 million people.

"What you are gifting to us in the license to have a team goes to the heart of uniting our diverse country," Marape said.

Australia wary of Chinese influence in region 

Australia has been trying to build closer ties with Pacific island nations as it seeks tocounter China's influence in the region.  

China offered a security and policing deal earlier this year, but Marape decided to stick with traditional security allies Australia and the US.

Experts say the pact with Australia is a combination of soft power and hard power, combining sports with security. 

"It's vital for Australia to secure its immediate strategic environment, and while unusual that this would connect with an issue like support for a sporting franchise, this is the context," Mihai Sora, Director of the Pacific Islands Program at the Lowy Institute in Sydney told Reuters.

Marape said Port Moresby, which was rocked by violent riots in January, would become safer to host Australian rugby fans.

Australia gave PNG about 637 million Australian dollars in aid this year. 

tg/rm (AFP, AP, Reuters)