Papua New Guinea will gain its own team in Australia’s rugby league in a soft diplomacy deal linked to limiting Chinese influence in the South Pacific.

In separate agreements with Nauru, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, Australia is attempting to edge out China’s influence in the region.

A team from the Pacific nation will join Australia’s National Rugby League in a $400 million deal that deepens ties while denting China’s regional security push.

The Australian government has signed a confidential agreement with Papua New Guinea, its second security pact in the Pacific in just under a week, in the latest move by the US ally to attempt to contain China’s growing strategic presence in the region.

The "soft power" aspect to this sports diplomacy initiative has never been a secret. But in the game of regional politics, Australia went in for the hard tackle.

Australia deploys rugby diplomacy to tempt neighbour away from China - Australian government will invest £300m in a new rugby league team based in Papua New Guinea. But there’s a catch – and it has no

SYDNEY: Australia will spend US$385 million to establish a team from Papua New Guinea in its rugby league competition, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Thursday (Dec 12), a move designed to help ward off China. Papua New Guinea has long lobbied for ...

China has pursued its own bilateral security pact on policing with Papua New Guinea and with other South Pacific island nations which U.S. allies, including Australia, fear could undermine ...

Papua New Guinea Gains a Team in Australian Rugby League in Diplomatic Push Aimed at Curbing China MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Papua New Guinea will gain its own team in Australia’s rugby ...

This political and sporting saga weaves together the most unlikely of players, from the Communist Party of China, to the massive island of Papua New Guinea, the administration of US President Joe ...

Australia said Friday it had agreed to boost Solomon Islands' police force with a multi-year funding, training and infrastructure package for the Pacific nation, which has fostered close ties with

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Australia announced on Friday it will pay for more police in Solomon Islands and create a police training center in the South Pacific island nation’s capital Honiara, where Chinese law enforcement instructors are already based under a bilateral security pact with Beijing.