The advantage PNG would gain from a proposed policing deal with China remains unclear, writes Oliver Nobetau.
lowyinstitute.org/the-interprete…

'PNG’s stance on cooperation with foreign police has been firm about the roles that are played...But in the case of China, unless the proposed agreement is published beforehand, much will be left to the imagination.' Oliver Nobetau lowyinstitute.org/the-interprete…

My The Lowy Institute colleague Mihai Sora is quoted in the The Sydney Morning Herald discussing China’s ambitions to expand its role as a security actor in the Pacific and the challenge this poses for Australia.
smh.com.au/politics/feder…

My latest Interpreter piece:

The government must reconsider its tax on the Pacific’s poorest.

Pacific labour mobility workers in the horticulture industry lose nearly $10,000 of their superannuation to the Australian Tax Office when they return home.

lowyinstitute.org/the-interprete…

While all eyes were following the Solomon Islands election, China was playing its hand in Papua New Guinea.

smh.com.au/politics/feder…

#geopolitics #Australia #China #PNG The Lowy Institute

Pacific #III - Masterful Mihai Sora on why the new Solomon Islands PM ain't going to break away from Beijing anytime soon. lowyinstitute.org/the-interprete…

The success of Jeremiah Manele’s premiership will largely depend on how he addresses the pressing domestic issues facing the Solomon Islands, writes Mihai Sora.
lowyinstitute.org/the-interprete…

Pacific #II - Jumping Jessica Collins on the superannuation trap for Pacific Island workers in Australia. lowyinstitute.org/the-interprete…

Pacific #I - As Bougainville and Papua New Guinea continue to grapple with how to implement the 2019 vote for independence, Oliver Nobetau lists the hard questions (and shares glimpse of family, too). lowyinstitute.org/the-interprete…

'After the euphoria of the Pacific Games wore off, the people of Solomon Islands were left with a resplendent national stadium that they could trudge past on their way to eke out a living in Honiara’s brutally scarce jobs market.'

Sharing views on Bougainville's future can make you feel vulnerable - especially when differing from the masses.

I hope my piece on the The Lowy Institute's Interpreter makes us Bougainvilleans think pragmatically about how we decide to move forward.

lowyinstitute.org/the-interprete…

Manele calls for calm after being elected PM: 'past Prime Minister elections have been marked by acts of violence and destruction. Our economy and livelihoods have suffered because of this violence. However today we show the world that we are better than that.'

🌟 Join us on May 7 for the launch of the 2023 Aus-PNG Network Report on First Nations Foreign Policy. 🌍

🎤 Keynote by Ms. Jacinta Warakai-Manua + a dynamic panel with our emerging leaders!

Hilton Port Moresby, 6-8 PM. 🥂

🔗 Register: auspng.lowyinstitute.org/event/first-na…

John Feakes

Big news. Sogavare withdraws from the race to (once again) become Prime Minister of Solomon Islands. He’ll be replaced as his party’s candidate by foreign minister Jeremiah Manele, who will aim to take the top job shortly. The coalition sounds confident it has the numbers

Early Solomon Islands election results starting to trickle in. Ousted Malaita Premier and prominent China critic Daniel Suidani regains his (provincial) seat. Fini gone. Manasseh Sogavare’s OUR party also takes two national seats. Counting in Sogavare’s constituency now underway

In this latest The Lowy Institute Conversations podcast, Hervé Lemahieu and I examine how diplomacy reflects and shapes the modern world. US-China competition, a more multipolar world, blowback of Russia's war, Australia's diplomatic deficit, and more:
lowyinstitute.org/publications/c…

My latest: #China ’s growing security presence in the Pacific will be scrutinized this week as the Solomon Islands holds its national election on Wednesday.

Feat: Mihai Sora, Anna Powles, Parker Novak and Michael Walsh

voanews.com/a/chinese-secu…

My colleague Lydia Khalil was on the ABC’s PM program providing analysis on the horrific terrorist attack at the Christ the Good Shepherd Church this week.
abc.net.au/listen/program…

My colleague Dr Meg Keen on ABC RN Breakfast this morning explaining the significance of the vote in Solomon Islands: abc.net.au/listen/program…

Good to hear my The Lowy Institute colleague Dr Meg Keen on RN discussing Solomon Islands’ upcoming election and how PM Sogavare’s China tilt will affect his chances at the ballot box.
abc.net.au/listen/program…