Papua New Guinea won’t be base ‘for war to be launched’, says PM, after US security deal

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Papua New Guinea will not be used as a base for “war to be launched”, prime minister James Marape has said, as the Pacific country signed a defence agreement with the US amid a race against China for influence in the region. Marape said on Tuesday the agreement – which he said he would release in full for public scrutiny on Thursday – prohibited “offensive military operations”. “It’s not a military base to be set up here for war to be launched,” he told radio station 100FM. “There’s a specific clause that says that this partnership is not a partnership...