Australia, Papua New Guinea eye defence treaty amid China overture

Australia said on Feb 20 that it will strike a defence treaty with Papua New Guinea, bolstering ties with a Pacific state that has been courted persistently by China.

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SYDNEY -

The historically close Pacific nations said in a joint statement they were committed to negotiating the treaty to deepen the integration of their forces and make it easier to offer security support.

"This will enable our two defence forces to walk down a pathway of increasing integration and increasing interoperability," Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles said.

"We live in a world which is increasingly strategically complex," he told reporters at a press conference with his Papua New Guinea counterpart.