Australia ‘plans to build’ new naval base in PNG as China strengthens Pacific influence

Australia is planning to build a new naval base in Papua New Guinea, an apparent move to curb China’s influence in the Pacific, AFP said, citing media reports. Canberra was aiming to finalize an agreement on the joint facility – to be built on the Pacific nation’s Manus island – ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Port Moresby in November, The Australian said. “The Pacific is a very high-priority area of strategic national security interest for Australia,” Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Wednesday, refusing to deny the report. China has been showering billions of dollars in infrastructure loans to tiny island nations across the Pacific Ocean. The region is considered strategically important as a maritime gateway to Asia.