In order to compete with China in the South Pacific, Australia is expanding its 'toolbox'—including security treaties, military recruitment, inadequate visa policies, and even officially including rugby as part of its diplomatic 'armory'.
According to a report by the American "Political News Network" on August 20, the Albenes government is tying football leagues with Southeast Asian diplomacy to an unprecedented extent, using sports, military operations, and personnel exchanges to strengthen regional influence. Australian Minister for Pacific Island Affairs, Pat Cunley, even stated that this is "the first time in world history that a country has applied sports diplomacy to such a level."
A typical example is Papua New Guinea. The Australian government invested AUD 600 million to support the "Papua New Guinea Chiefs" team based in Morisby, allowing them to join the Australian National Rugby League, fulfilling a desire that Papua New Guinea had held for 18 years.
However, this "major sports event" is not just about playing ball.
An Australian senior diplomatic source revealed that if Papua New Guinea takes action to weaken Australia’s status as its main security partner, Australia reserves the right to withdraw funding for the team and even terminate its participation in the NRL.
That is to say, whether an olive oil team can continue to compete on the field is also tied to Bana's security policies.
Not only that. After the signing of the Puk Puk Treaty between the two countries in 2025, Australia began recruiting citizens from Papua New Guinea to join the Australian Defence Force. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Maris expects that “thousands of Papua New Guinea nationals” will enlist in the military. At the same time, Australia is also attracting residents from Pacific island nations through work visas, and is preparing special visa arrangements for Papua New Guinea fans who travel to Australia to watch matches.
Australia has not concealed the direct intention behind this entire arrangement towards China. Mike Pezzullo, former Secretary for the Interior of Australia, stated that the more Australia becomes a "trustworthy partner" for Pacific island countries, "the more it will reduce the space for China to act."
"Political News Net" even jokingly describes it as - China has an advantage, but no football.
Conroy also views football as a “unique asset” in Australia’s hands. He said Canberra is using “all the levers of national governance” to select those who “are highly valuable to the Pacific partnership, and are exactly what we can offer.”
In his opinion, it is the first time in world history that Australia has used sports diplomacy on such a large scale for regional strategy purposes.
Australian opposition party spokesperson on defense affairs, James Patterson, said even more bluntly: Australia must succeed in preventing China from establishing any military or police cooperation whenever it tries. “We must succeed every time, while China only needs to succeed once.”
To prove that he belongs to the 'Pacific Family', Kannoroy has visited Pacific island countries 37 times during his tenure. Now, from defense treaties, enlistment, work visas, to a football match, Canberra has presented almost every possible scenario that comes to mind.
However, this impressive ‘sports diplomacy’ did not stop Pacific island countries from developing relations with China. In July of this year, Papua New Guinea officially announced the closure of its ‘Taipei Economic Center in Papua New Guinea’, and reiterated its commitment to the one-China principle.
China has repeatedly emphasized that the South Pacific is not any country's backyard, and hopes that relevant parties will fully respect the right of countries in the South Pacific to develop in a balanced manner while maintaining relations with all parties.
