Country Profile.
From The Report: Papua New Guinea 2012
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This chapter focuses on PNG’s rich natural resources, its ethnic diversity and relations with regional neighbours, with a specific focus on trade between mineral-rich PNG and resource-hungry China.
This chapter includes viewpoints from Prime Minister Peter O’Neill; Julie Bishop, Australia’s Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs and Deputy Leader of the Opposition; and William Hague, UK Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs.
Articles from this Chapter
Land of plenty: History, tradition and a diverse range of natural resources
Land of plenty: History, tradition and a diverse range of natural resourcesOBGplus
Occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and hundreds of adjacent smaller islands, Papua New Guinea is an important exporter of metals ( particularly gold and copper) and agricultural products such as coffee and palm oil. The country is also set to become a major exporter of gas, which expected to significantly increase the size and strength of the economy. The primarily rural population is highly diversified, comprising thousands of distinct ethnic communities that together…
Coming together: Ethnic diversity brings cultural richness and political challengesOBGplus
With its state motto, “Unity in Diversity”, Papua New Guinea is indeed a country with outstanding ethnic, linguistic and cultural variety, resulting from the rugged and mountainous geography of the main island of New Guinea, and the isolation of the smaller islands of the archipelago. PNG is a young nation, and its diversity has shaped efforts to address the challenges and opportunities related to development. According to the World Bank, PNG had roughly 6.85m inhabitants in 2010. As…
Prime Minister Peter O’Neill on the importance of investing export revenues wiselyOBGplus
Papua New Guinea is at a crossroads today: the country is poised to enter a period of unprecedented economic prosperity, led by the PNG liquefied natural gas (LNG) project that is being developed by ExxonMobil. Revenue from this project is expected to double PNG’s GDP growth, and a second LNG project in the Gulf province, being developed by InterOil, is also progressing well. While these developments are under way, production is expected to commence soon at a number of mines nationwide,…
Lasting bonds: Shared historical, economic and political ties with AustraliaOBGplus
Separated only by the Torres Strait – a distance of 150 km – Papua New Guinea and Australia have translated their geographic ties into political and economic cooperation. Indeed, Australia has long been PNG’s largest export market, while also being its biggest source of imports. Australian companies are also heavily represented in PNG and around 10,000 Australian expatriates currently live and work in the country. HISTORICAL TIES: The relationship between the countries began in 1902,…
China comes to market: Trade reveals the symbiosis between mineral-rich PNG and the resource-hungry Asian giantOBGplus
The People’s Republic of China (PRC) has become an active partner of Papua New Guinea in recent years, and the close ties have risen each to prominence in the other’s homeland. PNG is China’s largest trading partner among South Pacific nations, while the Asian powerhouse has climbed to second place, behind Australia, in terms of trade volume with PNG. As a result, political relations between Beijing and Port Moresby have taken on new strategic significance. A CLOSER FIT: Behind much…
Julie Bishop, Australia’s Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs and Deputy Leader of the Opposition, on bilateral relationsOBGplus
Australia’s relationship with Papua New Guinea must be one of the government’s highest foreign policy priorities. It is long past time for the relationship to mature and transition from aid donor and aid recipient status. Australia and PNG must now engage as full economic partners. There is enormous good will between our two nations which I have observed during my extended visits and in regular meetings with officials. These visits have allowed me to see some of the challenges and opportunities…
A regional player: Building relations with neighbours in the PacificOBGplus
Having enjoyed prolonged and positive relations, the dominant international powers in the South Pacific region – traditional allies like Australia, the US, the UK and France – influenced PNG’s policy throughout the 20th century. However, recent years have also seen an increasing recognition of the importance of Asian and South-east Asian states to PNG’s development. This geopolitical shift is occurring in tandem with a renewed interest from PNG’s traditional allies. Western powers,…
William Hague, UK Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, on UK-ASEAN relations in the 21st CenturyOBGplus
Today the idea of the “developed West and developing rest” is all but irrelevant. The world has changed and so must the UK if we are to prevent our role and influence in international affairs from declining. Key to this will be making the most of opportunities presented by a new international paradigm in which economic power and influence is moving east and south. We are doing this by shifting our diplomatic weight to reflect these changes and by building our relationships with emerging…
