Day: July 26, 2023

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Thursday the United States is not seeking a permanent military base in Papua New Guinea. The two countries signed a security agreement this year allowing the United States to develop and operate out of seaports and airports in Papua New Guinea. Speaking during a joint news conference with the country’s prime minister, James Marape, Austin said the goal is to strengthen Papua New Guinea’s ability to protect itself and defend its interests. “I want to reiterate our commitment to your country’s sovereignty and autonomy”…

WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND – U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday raised the possibility of New Zealand and other nations taking part in the AUKUS defense pact, cooperation that could rile Wellington’s key trade partner China. “The door’s very much open for New Zealand and other partners to engage as they see appropriate going forward,” Blinken said, as Wellington mulls cooperation on non-nuclear aspects of the joint Australia-U.K.-U.S. accord. New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins on Wednesday said New Zealand was “open to conversations” about a possible role in…

seoul —  North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met with Russia’s Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on Wednesday. Shoigu was on a rare visit to the isolated country during which both sides pledged to boost ties, state media KCNA reported. Shoigu handed Kim a letter from Russian President Vladimir Putin, the report said. Kim in turn thanked Putin for sending a military delegation led by Shoigu, adding the meeting deepened the “strategic and traditional DPRK [North Korea]-Russia relations.” The Russian delegation and a Chinese delegation including Chinese Communist Party Politburo member…

WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin’s visit to Papua New Guinea will focus, in part, on detailed discussion establishing a U.S. military presence in the country, according to experts. Underpinning the establishment of a U.S. military presence in PNG is the Defense Cooperation Agreement the two countries signed in May. The Defense Cooperation Agreement “will form the foundational framework for the two countries to enhance bilateral security cooperation” and “improve the capacity of the Papua New Guinea Defense Force,” said a statement released by the Pentagon on Tuesday.…

washington —  When Jean Lee walks into a room, the first place she will often look is up at the corners. It’s a habit the journalist picked up in North Korea, when she was always on the lookout for listening devices. Now based in Washington, Lee hasn’t reported regularly from North Korea for years. But old habits die hard. “I had such an incredible opportunity to learn the mechanism of surveillance and also self-protection in North Korea,” she told VOA. “After I left North Korea, it took a very long…