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Papua New Guinea - US Relations

Papua New Guinea signed a defence pact with the United States on 22 May 2023, as it hosted Washington's top diplomat and India's prime minister for separate talks that focused on China's rising influence. The Pacific island nation is strategically located close to trade routes to Australia and Japan, in a region where Washington and New Delhi are concerned about China trying to woo tiny nations with diplomatic and financial incentives.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken followed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in holding separate talks with 14 Pacific leaders including New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins who had gathered in the PNG capital Port Moresby. Before that meeting, Blinken signed a defence cooperation agreement with Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape that would give US troops access to the Pacific nation's ports and airports. The State Department said the pact would "enhance security cooperation and further strengthen our bilateral relationship, improve the capacity of the PNG Defence Force, and increase stability and security in the region". Marape said the deal would offer Washington movement in the country's waters in return for access to US satellite surveillance to battle "illegal activities on the high sea".

Blinken replaced Joe Biden at the summit after the US president cancelled the trip to take part in debt ceiling talks in Washington. Biden -- whose uncle died in Papua New Guinea during World War II -- would have been the first sitting US president to visit the island nation.

The United States established diplomatic relations with Papua New Guinea in 1975, following its independence from a United Nations trusteeship administered by Australia. As the most populous Pacific Island state (7.8 million: 2013 estimate), Papua New Guinea is important to peace and security in the Asia-Pacific region. The country has experienced recent economic progress and has abundant energy, agricultural, and mineral resources. But it faces challenges including weak governance, corruption, limited capacity to deliver basic services, a deterioration of its health system, and a serious concentrated HIV/AIDS epidemic among key populations and in the Highland provinces.

The United States and Papua New Guinea have enjoyed a close friendship, and the U.S. Government seeks to enhance Papua New Guinea's stability as a U.S. partner. The two countries work together on many issues from improving transparency and good governance, to combating trafficking in persons, curbing the effects of climate change, protecting fisheries, improving public health, and promoting gender equality. Their militaries have had a cooperative security assistance relationship that has focused primarily on joint humanitarian exercises and the training of Papua New Guinean military personnel.

US bilateral and multilateral assistance funds public health programs in PNG including the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, TB, Malaria and neglected tropical diseases. The aim is to advance the country's public health system.

The USAID's Pacific Islands Regional Office and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Country Office are both located in PNG. The U.S. builds the capacity and resilience of PNG to adapt to climate change through regional assistance that covers 12 Pacific Island countries. U.S. assistance supports PNG's efforts to protect biodiversity; it contributes to the Coral Triangle Initiative to preserve coral reefs, fisheries, and food security in six countries including PNG. The U.S. also supports efforts to improve the country's disaster preparedness and response.

In 2013 the U.S. provided funding for relief efforts in a number of PNG's provinces that had suffered from natural disasters caused by continuous heavy rain. U.S. military forces, through Pacific Command in Honolulu, Hawaii, provide training to the PNGDF and have held small-scale joint training and engineering exercises. The U.S. provides police and other education and training courses to national security officials. U.S. companies based in PNG have also funded a range of health and development projects.

The U.S. Government's Energy Governance and Capacity Initiative is expanding PNG's ability to manage its resource flows effectively and in conformity with international best practices. The ExxonMobil-led construction of a LNG pipeline is expected to increase revenue streams for the government. PNG is a party to the U.S. Pacific Islands Multilateral Tuna Fisheries Treaty, which provides access for U.S. fishing vessels in exchange for a license fee from the U.S. industry. Under a separate Economic Assistance Agreement associated with the Treaty, the U.S. Government currently provided $21 million per year to Pacific Island parties.