The United States and Papua New Guinea have signed a contentious new security pact that is set to expand America's military presence in the Pacific Island nation and boost joint training exercises between the two countries.
The agreement was signed by PNG's Defence Minister Win Bakri Daki and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who also stood in for US President Joe Biden at a meeting with 14 Pacific island leaders in Port Moresby.
Papua New Guinea's Prime Minister James Marape has been facing political pressure over the defence pact, particularly after a leaked draft of the agreement suggested the United States was seeking access to PNG military facilities and raised the prospect of US personnel being subject to American military courts rather PNG's justice system.
