Australia and Papua New Guinea to begin negotiations on new defence treaty

Australia and Papua New Guinea will on Thursday announce they are beginning negotiations on a defence treaty, in a move that could have major implications for national security and the Pacific’s strategic landscape. The announcement comes just 14 months after the two nations signed a landmark security agreement, and three months after they inked a $600 million deal handing PNG its own NRL team in return for strategic assurances designed to lock out China. PNG secures $570m loan from Australia Photo shows James Marape and Anthony Albanese at a press conference. Australia’s $570m loan to PNG comes with conditions to…