Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s high-profile visit to Papua New Guinea (PNG) this week ended without the anticipated signing of a landmark defense treaty, marking the second time in as many weeks that Australia has faced a diplomatic setback in the Pacific region. The missed opportunity, which unfolded in Port Moresby on Wednesday, September 17, 2025, comes just days before Albanese’s expected first meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, where the evolving security dynamics of the South Pacific are set to take center stage.
Albanese arrived in PNG’s capital with the expectation of finalizing a mutual defense treaty that would elevate Papua New Guinea to the status of Australia’s third security alliance partner, after the United States and New Zealand. According to The Independent, the proposed pact was designed to recognize an armed attack on either Australia or PNG as a threat to the peace and security of both nations—a significant step in countering growing Chinese influence in the region.
However, the anticipated Cabinet meeting in PNG, scheduled for Monday, September 15, to approve the treaty, never materialized. Instead, Albanese and his PNG counterpart, James Marape, issued a joint communique on Wednesday, stating that the text of the treaty had been agreed upon and would be signed “following Cabinet processes in both countries.” The communique, as reported by AP, signaled progress but fell short of the concrete agreement both leaders had hoped to showcase.
“We will go through our respective Cabinet processes and expect to finalize the signing of the treaty, the words of which have been agreed, in coming weeks,” Albanese said during a press conference. “This is very positive, very positive. There is no downside in this whatsoever. This is all upside for Australia and upside for Papua New Guinea.”
For Marape, the alliance is a matter of national interest. “I made a conscious choice that Australia remains our security partner of choice,” he told reporters, emphasizing PNG’s need for strong defense partnerships. “My country cannot defend our land and ocean space alone. The deal is in the national interest.”
The delay, however, has prompted questions about the underlying causes. Some observers speculated that China, a major trading partner for PNG, might have influenced the process. Marape was quick to dismiss these concerns. “Please let’s give respect to China,” he said, as quoted by AP. “This [delay] is in no way, shape or form [because] Chinese have any hand in saying: Don’t do this, etc.” He further clarified, “It’s got nothing against our relationship with them, we asked them too...that they do respect PNG government’s choice of security partners. It is our choice.”
Marape also announced plans to dispatch PNG’s defense minister to China and other key security partners, including the United States, France, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and the Philippines, to explain the treaty’s intent. “In the next two days or so, I’ll dispatch our defense minister to go first to China, and elsewhere in all of our security nations...to inform them all exactly what this is all about,” he said.
Albanese, for his part, faced pointed questions about whether he was pushing Pacific nations too hard to sign agreements they were not ready for. He rejected any suggestion of overreach, underscoring the importance of democratic processes. “Democracies aren’t the same as authoritarian regimes. They go through processes. We respect them,” Albanese stated. “Processes are important and sovereignty’s important and we respect it and Papua New Guinea will go through its Cabinet processes, but we have...agreed on the words in this treaty.”
The setback in Port Moresby follows a similar disappointment in Vanuatu just a week earlier. Albanese had traveled to the island nation on September 9, 2025, hoping to sign a A$500 million security and economic partnership. However, Vanuatuan Prime Minister Jotham Napat cited concerns that the treaty could restrict Vanuatu’s ability to raise funds from third countries, including China, and the agreement was postponed for further negotiation.
Australia’s recent push to solidify security ties in the Pacific comes in the wake of China’s 2022 security pact with the Solomon Islands—a move that raised alarms in Canberra and Washington about the possibility of a Chinese naval presence in the South Pacific. According to AP, Australia has responded by offering substantial investments and security partnerships to its Pacific neighbors, including a $600 million initiative to encourage PNG’s participation in the National Rugby League as a soft-power counter to Beijing’s influence.
Despite the diplomatic hurdles, Albanese remains optimistic about the future of the PNG treaty. Both governments, he said, “have more work to do” but expect to finalize the agreement “in the coming weeks.” Marape, while declining to disclose whether all his ministers supported the treaty—citing Cabinet confidentiality—insisted, “There is no sticking point.”
The timing of these developments is particularly notable. China is hosting its annual security forum on Thursday, September 18, drawing military officials from 100 countries. The forum underscores Beijing’s ongoing efforts to assert itself as a central player in regional and global security affairs, and it provides a backdrop to the delicate balancing act faced by Pacific nations like PNG, which must navigate relationships with both China and traditional partners such as Australia and the United States.
Meanwhile, anticipation is building for Albanese’s upcoming trip to New York, where he is expected to meet President Trump on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. While Albanese’s office has not formally confirmed the meeting, Trump recently told reporters outside the White House, “Your leader is coming over to see me very soon. I’m going to tell him about you. You set a very bad tone,” referencing media questions about his business dealings. John Lyons, ABC America’s Editor, later remarked, “I believe that they will have the meeting and I hope that, you know, that my two or three questions about legitimate public interest shouldn’t, in my view, in any way impact upon what they decide.”
Australia’s efforts to shore up Pacific security alliances reflect a broader contest for influence in the region, one that is being closely watched not just in Canberra and Beijing, but also in Washington and across the Pacific islands themselves. Each country’s sovereignty, economic needs, and diplomatic priorities are shaping a complex, evolving landscape—one where the signing of a single treaty can have rippling implications far beyond the negotiating table.
As the dust settles on Albanese’s PNG visit, the region’s future remains uncertain but undeniably pivotal. The coming weeks will test whether diplomatic patience and respect for process can deliver the security partnerships that Australia, PNG, and their allies seek in a rapidly shifting Pacific.
