MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) 鈥 Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Wednesday was unable to clinch an ambitious defense treaty with Papua New Guinea during a visit to the country, a week after he failed to land a security pact with another South Pacific island neighbor, Vanuatu, aimed at curbing China鈥檚 influence in the region.
The diplomatic setbacks come ahead of his potential first meeting with U.S. President next week where regional security will be on the agenda.
Albanese had announced that the bilateral treaty with Papua New Guinea would be signed during his to the country鈥檚 capital of Port Moresby that ended Wednesday.
But a Papua New Guinea Cabinet meeting scheduled for Monday to endorse the treaty never took place.
Instead of signing the treaty, Albanese and his Papua New Guinea counterpart released a communique on Wednesday that said the text had been agreed on and the document would be signed 鈥渇ollowing Cabinet processes in both countries.鈥
Albanese had similarly expected to sign a bilateral security and economic treaty during a visit to Vanuatu on Sept. 9, but left the country with an assurance that negotiations would continue.
Vanuatuan Prime Minister Jotham Napat said last week there were concerns within his government that the treaty could limit Vanuatu鈥檚 ability to raise money for critical infrastructure from any third country, such as China.
Albanese on Wednesday rejected a reporter鈥檚 suggestion that he was overreaching by trying to persuade countries to sign deals they were not ready for.
鈥淒emocracies aren鈥檛 the same as authoritarian regimes. They go through processes. We respect them,鈥 Albanese said.
鈥淧rocesses are important and sovereignty鈥檚 important and we respect it and Papua New Guinea will go through its Cabinet processes, but we have 鈥 agreed on the words in this treaty,鈥 he added.
Questioned by a reporter, Marape said he was not concerned that China would use the delay to lobby his ministers to scuttle the treaty.
鈥淧lease let鈥檚 give respect to China,鈥 Marape said. 鈥淭his (delay) is in no way, shape or form (because) Chinese have any hand in saying: Don鈥檛 do this, etc.鈥
Marape declined to say whether all his ministers agreed the treaty should go ahead, citing Cabinet confidentiality.
鈥淭here is no sticking point,鈥 Marape said.
The pact would elevate to become Australia鈥檚 third security alliance partner after the United States and New Zealand.
Australia has stepped up efforts to bolster relations with island nations in the region since 2022, when Beijing struck a with Solomon Islands that has raised the prospect of a Chinese naval base being established in the South Pacific.
Albanese is expected to seek his first in-person meeting with Trump when the prime minister travels to New York next week to attend the United Nations General Assembly. Albanese鈥檚 office has not confirmed meeting plans.
Trump recently told reporters outside the White House that Albanese was 鈥渃oming over to see me very soon.鈥
At the time, Trump was berating Australian Broadcasting Corp. America鈥檚 Editor John Lyons over questions he asked about Trump family business dealings.
鈥淚n my opinion, you are hurting Australia very much right now and they want to get along with me. You know your leader is coming over to see me very soon. I鈥檓 going to tell him about you. You set a very bad tone,鈥 Trump told Lyons.
Lyons later told ABC, a state-funded broadcaster, he expected Trump and Albanese would meet in New York City next week.
鈥淚 believe that they will have the meeting and I hope that, you know, that my two or three questions about legitimate public interest shouldn鈥檛, in my view, in any way impact upon what they decide,鈥 Lyons said.
鈥淪o President Trump鈥檚 suggestion that I鈥檓 hurting Australia, I think, is an absurd suggestion,鈥 Lyons added.
