China is capitalizing on President Biden’s recent comments about cannibalism in Papua New Guinea, as part of a campaign to kneecap America’s diplomatic overtures to Pacific Island countries.
Papua New Guinea is already navigating a narrow diplomatic path between the U.S. and China. It signed a monumental basing-access agreement with Washington last summer — but it has also continued to seek close ties with Beijing and accept Chinese assistance on security and policing. Prime minister James Marape traveled to China for a meeting with General Secretary Xi in October.
While Biden’s comment last week probably won’t jeopardize last year’s defense-cooperation agreement, it was bad news for America’s effort to cultivate a better relationship with Papua New Guinea.
During a speech in Pittsburgh last week, Biden said that his uncle, Ambrose Finnegan, had been shot down near the island of New Guinea during the Pacific campaign. “There were a lot of cannibals in New Guinea at the time,” he said.
But the Associated Press looked into the claim and found that there was a problem with Biden’s recounting of the situation: U.S. military records said that the crash was related to an engine failure and did not mention anything about cannibals.
Over the weekend, Marape said that he took offense at Biden’s story, saying that the president implied that Finnegan had been eaten by cannibals and that his country “does not deserve” to be associated with cannibalism.
In a statement, he urged Biden to consider retrieving the bodies of Americans killed near Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands and to clear war-related debris and bombs that remain on the island.
Marape’s response to Biden followed a visit by the CCP’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, to Papua New Guinea on Saturday. During his trip, Wang said that China wants to assist the country’s development “without any geopolitical selfish interests.”
It’s not clear if Wang raised Biden’s comments about cannibalism during a meeting with Marape, but Beijing has made clear elsewhere that it sees an opportunity.
The Global Times, an English-language outlet run by the CCP for global audiences, entered the fray on Tuesday with a piece alleging that Biden’s comment shows “US’ inherent disrespect for PNG.”
The article alleged that Biden’s comment reveals “how Western countries see the developing countries” and cited Marape’s request for a cleanup effort.
The Global Times article also hyped up domestic opposition to the defense agreement signed last year and praised China’s diplomatic ties with Papua New Guinea.
“The US’ disdain for the Pacific island countries is ingrained. Over the years, US’ attention to the South Pacific has been based on countering the so-called growing regional influence of China, not out of genuine concern and desire to help the development of the islands,” the piece concludes.
As China has cemented robust political and security ties to Pacific Island countries, U.S. officials have expressed concern that Washington is being outmaneuvered by Beijing. The Solomon Islands, which shares a maritime border with Papua New Guinea, has staunchly aligned itself with Beijing and admitted Chinese security personnel to set up shop.
In the event of a U.S.–China war, Pacific Island countries would likely play a key role, considering their geographical location. The Pentagon has assessed that China has considered setting up military logistics facilities in the Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, and Papua New Guinea.
A robust Chinese military presence in the region makes a Chinese sneak attack akin to Pearl Harbor more likely, an official from the Solomon Islands warned last year.
The cannibalism controversy comes almost a year after Biden canceled what would’ve been a high-profile trip to the country last May.
He stayed in Washington to negotiate a debt-ceiling hike that averted a U.S. default, leading key figures in Papua New Guinea expressed disappointment. Later that summer, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin traveled there to conclude the defense-cooperation agreement.