Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has had one overarching regional goal since taking office — stop China gaining a military foothold in the Pacific. He has been ready to harness any tool available to further it, including sports.
Canberra is using rugby league, a fierce and combative form of football popular in Australia and the Pacific islands, for diplomatic ends.
Albanese last year announced that Australia would finance a team from Papua New Guinea (PNG) to participate in the domestic professional league. Some of the A$600 million (US$414.97 million) set aside for the new team is also earmarked to support youth development.
Photo: AFP
League was on show to cement regional ties last night, when Albanese hosted Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape and the leaders of Samoa and Tonga to watch State of Origin.
It is the most important rugby league series, in which powerhouse states Queensland and New South Wales face off in a take-no-prisoners contest.
“I am very much looking forward to hosting Pacific Leaders in Brisbane and attending the State of Origin with them,” Albanese said in a statement yesterday before the game. “Through one of Australia’s favorite sporting codes, we are bringing our Pacific family closer together.”
The New South Wales Blues beat the Queensland Maroons 30-12.
Australian Minister for Defense Industry and Pacific Island Affairs Pat Conroy said that said PNG’s new team — the Chiefs — is something Marape wanted to unite his diverse peoples, “akin to when Nelson Mandela brought South Africans together” through rugby union.
“We have been clear that we are now in a permanent state of contest in the Pacific,” Conroy added. “That’s why we are using all tools of statecraft and all levers of diplomacy, including sports diplomacy, to ensure we have a prosperous and secure region.”
That contest with Beijing was brought into sharp relief on Monday, when China test-fired a ballistic missile from a submarine into the Pacific. The test happened to coincide with Albanese visiting Fiji, and came shortly after the Australian and Fijian leaders signed a new defense alliance.