U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said a defence cooperation pact signed with Papua New Guinea on Monday would expand the Pacific island nation’s capabilities and make it easier for the U.S. military to train with its forces.
Blinken and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held separate summits with 14 Pacific island leaders in the PNG capital Port Moresby, pledging support for the region’s priorities of health, development and climate change.
The United States and its allies are seeking to deter Pacific island nations from forming security ties with China, a rising concern amid tension over Taiwan, and after Beijing signed a security pact with Solomon Islands.
Leaders of the Pacific islands, whose territories span 40 million square km (15 million square miles) of ocean, have said rising sea levels caused by climate change are their most pressing security priority.
Meeting PNG Prime Minister James Marape, Blinken said the United States would deepen its partnership across the board with PNG, and he expected partnerships with U.S. businesses would bring tens of billions of dollars’ worth of new investment.