The INS Kolkata guided missile destroyer and INS Sahyadri frigate will stay in PNG’s capital Port Moresby for two days, an Indian embassy official said. The visit will “enhance maritime cooperation and security in the region”, an embassy statement added. India currently holds the rotating presidency of the G20.

The ships will then join naval exercises in Australia as part of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, or Quad, a group that also includes Japan and the United States. The Malabar exercise begins on Friday.

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. PNG struck a defence agreement with Washington in May.

Pacific island leaders, 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.

The navy port call follows a visit by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in May to Papua New Guinea, an underdeveloped but resource-rich nation north of Australia. Modi took part in a summit meeting of Pacific nations.

The leaders of both France and Indonesia, as well as senior U.S. and British officials, have also visited PNG in quick succession. U.S. President Joe Biden was forced to cancel a visit because of debt ceiling negotiations in Washington.

Michael Green, CEO of the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney, said it was not the first time the Pacific Islands have come to world attention during major transitions in international relations.

At the end of World War One, the islands “consumed attention” at the 1921-22 Washington Naval Treaties amid concern over Japan’s access to an undersea cable, said Green, a former senior U.S. national security advisor.

After World War Two, the U.S. was “determined to keep the former Japanese islands out of the Communist bloc because they were critical to protecting the southern flank below Japan and above Australia,” he said. With China’s rise, Pacific Islands airfields and undersea cables have again come into play, he added.

China is PNG’s largest trading partner. Director of the Pacific Islands Program at the Lowy Institute think-tank, Meg Keen, said the recent push by China into security has “raised concern among Western countries with strong national interests in the region”.

“The U.S. is trying to secure a bilateral security agreement with PNG and show it is in the region to stay and will make a positive difference. To date its engagements have been modest,” she said.

Pacific Island nations have welcomed the additional interest from the West but will continue to engage with China, she said.

“The Pacific will want more than Pacific frequent flyers, they want genuine partnerships that deliver results,” she added.

Marape urged India to think of small island states who “suffer as a result of big nations at play”.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Papua New Guinea’s leader James Marape on Monday ahead of the expected signing of a defence agreement and a meeting with 14 Pacific Island leaders.

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi had earlier pledged support for the Pacific Islands at a summit in the capital Port Moresby.

Washington and its allies are seeking to deter Pacific Island nations from forming security ties with China, a rising concern amid tensions over Taiwan.

Historians have said PNG and the Solomon Islands – which last year struck a security pact with Beijing – were essential to the U.S. drive across the Pacific to liberate the Philippines in World War Two.

Leaders of the islands, which span 40 million square kilometres (15 million square miles) of ocean, have said rising sea levels caused by climate change is their most pressing security priority.

Blinken told Marape they were signing very important agreements and the United States would deepen its partnership across the board with PNG.

United States President Joe Biden sent “his regret that he was not able to be here”, he added. Biden was forced to cancel his travel to PNG due to debt ceiling negotiations in Washington.

Modi told the 14 leaders of the Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation that India would be a reliable development partner to small island states, and was committed to a “free, open and inclusive Indo Pacific”.

“Without any doubt we are willing to share our capabilities and experiences in digital technology, space technology, health security, food security, climate change and environment protection,” he said in opening remarks.

The Quad leaders, of Australia, United States, Japan and India, had agreed in Hiroshima to increase cooperation with Pacific Island countries, he added.

In his opening remarks, Marape urged India to think of small island states who “suffer as a result of big nations at play”.

Marape said Russia’s war with Ukraine, for instance, had caused inflation and high fuel and power prices in the region’s small economies.

Defence Deal

Modi held a bilateral meeting with Solomon Islands leader Manasseh Sogavare, whose security deal with China prompted concern from Washington over Beijing’s intentions in the region.

Blinken is expected to sign a Defence Cooperation Agreement between the United States and PNG, and also hold a Pacific Island leaders meeting in the afternoon.

Several universities held protests at campuses against the signing of the Defence Cooperation Agreement, amid concern it would upset China. Marape has denied it would stop PNG working with China, an important trade partner.

The U.S. defence agreement was an extension of an existing agreement that would boost PNG’s defence infrastructure and capability after decades of neglect, the PNG government said earlier.

Marape told media on Sunday the defence agreement would also see an increase in the U.S. military presence over the next decade.

Washington would provide $45 million in new funds as it partnered with PNG to strengthen economic and security cooperation, including protective equipment for the PNG defence force, climate change mitigation and tackling transnational crime and HIV/AIDS, the U.S. State Department said.

Blinken visited a healthcare clinic where U.S. funding is helping to boost testing and access to antiretroviral therapy, to combat HIV/AIDS.

Port Moresby (AP) — The United States is scheduled to sign a new security pact with Papua New Guinea on Monday as it competes with China for influence in the Pacific.

Papua New Guinea’s location just north of Australia makes it strategically significant. It was the site of fierce battles during World War II, and with a population of nearly 10 million people, it’s the most populous Pacific island nation.

The State Department said the new agreement would provide a framework to help improve security cooperation, enhance the capacity of Papua New Guinea’s defense force and increase regional stability. I

At a breakfast meeting, Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape said his country faced significant security challenges, from skirmishes within the country to illegal fishing boats that light up the night like skyscrapers.

“We have our internal security as well as our sovereignty security issues,” Marape said. “We’re stepping up on that front to make sure our borders are secure.”

But the agreement sparked student protests in the second-largest city, Lae. And many in the Pacific are concerned about the increasing militarization of the region.

Student Naomi Kipoi, 17, said she was opposed to the security pact because it would mean the U.S. could come to her country whenever it pleased without permission. She said China had been a big help to her country by building roads and funding schools.

“The U.S. didn’t help us with aid and other things,” Kipoi said. “They’re just trying to sign the agreement.”

Last year, nearby Solomon Islands signed its own security pact with China, a move that raised alarm throughout the Pacific. The U.S. has increased its focus on the Pacific, opening embassies in Solomon Islands and Tonga, reviving Peace Corps volunteer efforts, and encouraging more business investment.

But some have questioned how reliable a partner the U.S. is in the Pacific, particularly after President Joe Biden canceled his plans to make an historic stop in Papua New Guinea to sign the pact. Biden would have been the first sitting U.S. president to visit any Pacific Island country, but he ended up canceling to focus on the debt limit talks back at home.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken traveled in Biden’s place, arriving in Papua New Guinea early Monday. In response to news of Blinken’s impending visit, China warned against the introduction of “geopolitical games” into the region.

The U.S. visit was timed to coincide with a trip by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was hosting a meeting with Pacific Island leaders to discuss ways to better cooperate.

Blinken met with New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins and said the two nations had a shared vision for the region.

“To make sure that it remains free, open, secure and prosperous,” Blinken said.

Hipkins told Blinken he was very happy that Blinken had made the trip.

“The increased U.S. presence in the Pacific is something we welcome,” Hipkins said.

But Hipkins also drew a distinction to his own nation’s efforts.

“We are not interested in the militarization of the Pacific,” Hipkins told reporters before the Blinken meeting. “We are interested in working with the Pacific on issues where we have mutual interest. Issues around climate change. And we’re not going to be attaching military strings to that support.”

Since the start of his presidency, Biden has repeatedly told world leaders that “America is back”.

President Joe Biden has an ambitious agenda when he sets off this week on an eight-day trip to the Indo-Pacific.

He’s looking to tighten bonds with longtime allies, make history as the first sitting U.S. president to visit the tiny island state of Papua New Guinea and spotlight his administration’s commitment to the Pacific.

The three-country trip also presents the 80-year-old Biden, who recently announced he’s running for reelection, with the opportunity to demonstrate that he still has enough in the tank to handle the grueling pace of the presidency.

But as he prepares to head west, Biden finds himself in a stalemate with Republican lawmakers over raising America’s debt limit. If the matter is not resolved in the coming weeks, it threatens to spark an economic downturn.

A look at what’s at stake in Biden’s upcoming trip:

Where Is Biden Going?

Biden first heads to Hiroshima, Japan, for the Group of Seven summit. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is this year’s host for the annual gathering of leaders from seven of the world’s biggest economies. He picked his hometown of Hiroshima, where the U.S. dropped the world’s first atomic bomb in 1945.

The bombing destroyed the city and killed 140,000 people. The United States dropped a second bomb three days later on Nagasaki, killing 70,000 more. Japan surrendered on Aug. 15, 1945, ending World War II and its nearly half-century of aggression in Asia.

The significance of Hiroshima resonates deeply today, given that Russia has made veiled threats of using tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine, North Korea has stepped up ballistic missile tests and Iran pushes forward with its nuclear weapons program.

Biden will then make a brief and historic stopover in Papua New Guinea. Biden has sought to improve relations with Pacific Island nations amid growing U.S. concern about China’s growing military and economic influence in the region.

Finally, Biden travels to Australia for a summit with his fellow Quad leaders: Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Kishida.

The Quad partnership first formed during the response to the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami that killed some 230,000 people. Since coming to office, Biden has tried to reinvigorate the Quad as part of his broader effort to put greater U.S. focus on the Pacific.

The Big Issues

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and provocative actions by China in the South China Sea and in the Taiwan Strait are expected to be front and center throughout Biden’s trip.

At last month’s G-7 ministers’ meeting, the alliance pledged a unified front against Chinese threats to Taiwan and Russia’s war. The G-7 includes Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States.

Biden administration officials have been troubled by China’s increasing threats against and military maneuvers around Taiwan, the self-governing democracy that Beijing claims as its own. The U.S.-China relationship has also been strained by then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taipei last August. Those ties were further inflamed after the U.S. shot down a Chinese spy balloon in February after it traversed the United States.

The G-7 foreign ministers said in their communique that the alliance would look toward “intensifying sanctions” against Russia. How far the G-7 is willing to go remains to be seen.

Is America Back?

The looming potential for a debt default by the U.S. government raises a difficult dynamic for Biden as he heads overseas for the first time since announcing his 2024 campaign.

Since the start of his presidency, Biden has repeatedly told world leaders that “America is back”. That’s a short-handed way to assure allies that the United States was returning to its historic role as a leader on the international stage following the more inward-looking “America First” foreign policy of President Donald Trump.

But Biden has also acknowledged that skeptical world leaders have asked him, “For how long?”

To that end, top administration officials have said the looming debt limit crisis is a troubling sign.

“It sends a horrible message to nations like Russia and China, who would love nothing more than to be able to point at this and say, ’See the United States is not a reliable partner. The United States is not a stable leader of peace and security around the world,” said White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby.

The Congressional Budget Office said on Friday that there was a “significant risk” that the federal government could run out of cash sometime in the first two weeks of June unless Congress agrees to raise the $31.4 trillion borrowing cap.

Pacific Island Respect

With the brief stop in Papua New Guinea to meet with Pacific Island leaders, Biden gets the chance to show the United States is serious about remaining engaged for the long term in the Pacific Islands.

The area has received diminished attention from the U.S. in the aftermath of the Cold War and China has increasingly filled the vacuum — through increased aid, development and security cooperation. Biden has said that he’s committed to changing that dynamic.

Last September, Biden hosted leaders from more than a dozen Pacific Island countries at the White House, announcing a new strategy to help to assist the region on climate change and maritime security. His administration also recently opened embassies in the Solomon Islands and Tonga, and has plans to open one in Kiribati.

He’ll be the first sitting U.S. president to visit the island nation of about 9 million people. Chinese President Xi Jinping made a visit to Papua New Guinea in 2018.

Quality Time with Modi

Biden is going to be spending plenty of time with the Indian prime minister in the coming weeks.

Modi is among eight leaders of non-G-7 countries who were invited by Kishida to join the meeting of major industrial nations in Hiroshima. He’ll also join Biden’s meeting with Pacific Island leaders in Papua New Guinea.

Then Biden, Modi, and Kishida will all make their way to Australia for a meeting of the Quad to be hosted by Albanese in Sydney. Biden won’t have to wait long to see Modi again. The president is hosting Modi for a state visit on June 22.