Australia and Papua New Guinea have signed a major mutual defense treaty mainly intended to offset China’s expanding military clout in the South Pacific and prevent it from projecting power in the area. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/10/06/asia-pacific/politics/australia-papua-new-guinea-defense-treaty-signed/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #asiapacific #politics #papuanewguinea #australia #defense #china #indopacific