Papua New Guinea

Economics

Politics

The Autonomous Region of Bougainville's government, which governs Papua New Guinea’s Bougainville Island, declared it will unilaterally proclaim independence by September 2027, BenarNews reported on March 20.

Papua New Guinea: Bougainville Region Says It Will Proclaim Independence by 2027

United States

Australia

China

Energy

Military & Security

Tribal violence and a viral video depicting grim alleged acts of mutilation and cannibalism in Papua New Guinea have drawn global attention as the country prepares to celebrate its 50th independence anniversary with international leaders in 2025, BenarNews reported on Jan. 10.

Papua New Guinea: Tribal Violence Underscores Unstable Security and Investment Environment

Under a $518 million sports deal, Australia will fund Papua New Guinea's team to play in Australia's National Rugby League as long as Papua New Guinea maintains Australia as its primary security partner, The Straits Times reported on Dec. 12.

Australia, Papua New Guinea: Canberra Finalizes Another Exclusive Security Deal With Pacific Islands

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The Pacific Islands Forum, or PIF, endorsed the Pacific Policing Initiative, a $271 million initiative to establish four regional police training centers in Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa and Micronesia over five years, Nikkei Asia reported on Aug. 28.

Australia, Pacific Islands: Summit Produces Regional Policing Agreement

Japan

Austria

Environment, Science & Technology

Science & Technology

Capping the 10th triennial Pacific Islands Leaders Meeting, the 18-member Pacific Island Forum, or PIF, and Japan issued a declaration centered on climate change, maritime defense, trade and technology cooperation, Nikkei Asia reported on July 18.

Japan, Pacific Islands: Summit Produces Declaration on Maritime Security, Trade and Climate Cooperation

Indonesia

Indonesia and Papua New Guinea ratified a security pact signed in 2014 geared toward securing the two countries' shared border on the island of New Guinea, BenarNews reported on Feb. 27.

Indonesia, Papua New Guinea: Countries Ratify Border Security Deal After 10 Years

Papua New Guinea's Prime Minister James Marape told a joint session of Australia's parliament that he will not "compromise" his nation's democratic values as part of a proposed police and security pact with China, Bloomberg reported on Feb. 8.

Australia, Papua New Guinea: PNG Prime Minister Vows Not To 'Compromise' for China

Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape declared a 14-day state of emergency in the country after rioting and looting left at least 16 people dead and dozens injured, The Papua New Guinea Post-Courier reported Jan. 11. 

Papua New Guinea: State of Emergency Declared After Rioting Kills at Least 16

Assessments

The flags of Australia, the Solomon Islands, Nauru and Papua New Guinea clockwise starting from the upper left. Canberra will have to fulfill its commitments to keep Beijing's influence at bay as island countries play the two off each other.

Canberra will have to fulfill its commitments to keep Beijing's influence at bay as island countries play the two off each other. 

Australian Efforts to Counter China in the Pacific Will Require Follow-Through

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky holds a flag during a ceremony on Ukraine's Independence Day on Aug. 24, 2023, in Kyiv, Ukraine. 

Israel-Hamas Conflict

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended RANE articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: Gaza Cease-Fire Talks Resume, Ukraine Observes Third Post-Invasion Independence Day

Papua New Guinea's Prime Minister James Marapeand, the Cook Islands' Prime Minister Mark Brown, U.S. President Joe Biden and Kiribati's President Taneti Maamau at the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) as part of the U.S.-PIF summit at the White House on Sept. 25, 2023, in Washington, D.C.

U.S.-China Relations

Despite Washington's desire to strengthen ties with Pacific island nations, political constraints may leave a regional void that China is happy to fill.

Strategic Goals and Political Hurdles in the U.S. Play Tug-of-War Over the Pacific Islands

Visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (left) and Fiji's prime minister Frank Bainimarama attend a joint press conference in Fiji's capital of Suva on May 30, 2022.

Security

The U.S. and the Balance of Power

China in Transition

Asia-Pacific: Among Great Powers

China, the U.S., and Australia will need to adapt their traditional engagement with the island nations to secure influence in the strategic maritime region.

The Pacific Islands Emerge as the Next Theater for Great Power Competition 

Papua New Guinea's Prime Minister James Marape and his wife, Rachel, went on a six-day visit to Australia during July.

Papua New Guinea's new prime minister has pledged to win more benefits for the debt-ridden Pacific country. But doing so could come at the cost of vital foreign revenue streams -- and his political career.

In Papua New Guinea, Reality Will Dim Any Nationalist Dreams

The extremely secluded resort island of Wakaya, Fiji. 

The New Silk Road

As Beijing increases its ties in the Pacific subregion of Melanesia, Australia is forced to reckon with a more permanent Chinese presence on its doorstep. 

China Encroaches on Australia's Backyard

As U.S. focus turns away from the Pacific islands, other powers are starting to pay attention.

Tracking U.S. Naval Power

Countries like the Federated States of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands and Palau enjoy a close treaty relationship with the United States, but the strategically located states are now on China's radar too.

China Sets a Course for the U.S.'s Pacific Domain

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The Geopolitics of the Cook Islands

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In the remote Pacific islands, the world's crises are dulled by distance. But the plight of the Cook Islands -- a grouping of 15 islands at the heart of the South Pacific is a tiny segment of a sweeping arc that sprawls across the Pacific from the Marianas to Polynesia -- is dire. In spite of the fantasies of travelers over the centuries, these islands are not pristine utopias.

A Place Where Geopolitics Fades

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Paris Agreement Emphasizes Shift Away From Oil

The pace of the transition will be decided by how quickly new technologies reach the developing world.

Delegates attend a plenary session at the U.N. climate change summit in Paris on Dec. 9.

The agreement signed Dec. 12 in Paris is just a small part of a broader energy transition driven by technological change.

Climate Agreement Will Only Hasten Transition Beyond Oil

_Energy

Myanmar

Oman

Yemen

Bangladesh

Pakistan

Sri Lanka

Beijing is reluctant to draw attention to its port development projects and the fact that the Chinese navy is increasingly reliant on an extended supply network.

Modernizing China’s Military

Beijing's waterborne forces have become very active over the past five years. Sortie rates are increasingly high, and the number of global maritime deployments by the People's Liberation Army Navy is growing. Because of this, the Chinese are increasingly recognizing the need to improve both their underway logistics capabilities and the global infrastructure needed to facilitate their long-distance deployments.

Mapping China's Maritime Ambition 

Videos

Vice President of Strategic Intelligence Rodger Baker discusses the recent mutiny in Papua New Guinea and its broader implications for the Pacific region.

Dispatch: Political Instability in Papua New Guinea

SITUATION REPORTS

Papua New Guinea: Bougainville Region Says It Will Proclaim Independence by 2027

Papua New Guinea: Tribal Violence Underscores Unstable Security and Investment Environment

Australia, Papua New Guinea: Canberra Finalizes Another Exclusive Security Deal With Pacific Islands

Australia, Pacific Islands: Summit Produces Regional Policing Agreement

Japan, Pacific Islands: Summit Produces Declaration on Maritime Security, Trade and Climate Cooperation

Indonesia, Papua New Guinea: Countries Ratify Border Security Deal After 10 Years

Australia, Papua New Guinea: PNG Prime Minister Vows Not To 'Compromise' for China

Papua New Guinea: State of Emergency Declared After Rioting Kills at Least 16

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