Australia has struck a “rugby diplomacy” deal with Papua New Guinea to try to curb China’s mounting influence, agreeing to bankroll the Pacific country’s ambitions in the sport while cementing a bilateral security pact.
Australia said on Thursday that it would invest A$600mn ($385mn) over 10 years to set up a rugby league team in Papua New Guinea, where the sport is hugely popular, to compete in the Australian league by 2028.
Anthony Albanese, Australia’s prime minister, and counterpart James Marape of Papua New Guinea announced the agreement on Thursday and also said a bilateral security pact signed by the two countries last year had come into force.
您已閱讀22%（657字），剩餘78%（2345字）包含更多重要資訊，訂閱以繼續探索完整內容，並享受更多專屬服務。