US adopts multiple strategies in the Indo-Pacific region – Vox
A Papua New Guinea pact reveals the complexity of creating partnerships in the region. By Ellen Ioanes May 27, 2023, 4:17pm EDT
Ellen Ioanes covers breaking and general assignment news as the weekend reporter at Vox. She previously worked at Business Insider covering the military and global conflicts.
The US has accelerated its security and cooperation agreements in the Indo-Pacific region in recent months, renewing strong ties to the Philippines, enhancing cooperation with Australia, and negotiating wide-ranging defense and cooperation agreements with Papua New Guinea. But even as the US courts the region, Asian and Pacific countries must weigh the costs and benefits of their alignments in complex security, economic, and environmental interests.
While there are no official details about the agreements, they include targeted economic support, efforts to fight climate change, and disaster relief assistance, as well as an expanded US military presence over the next 10 years and support in policing illicit activity like illegal fishing in the country’s immediate vicinity. Papua New Guinea, like many countries in the broader region, has a strong trade relationship with China but values its non-aligned status and commitment to its own domestic priorities above “great power” competition.
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