The Australian Government has reason to be angry at Papua New Guinea for establishing full diplomatic relations with Taiwan. It was done for the basest of reasons: money. It would be almost excusable if it were done just to show that PNG is really and truly independent from Australia. But no, it is about money. Taiwan is willing to buy itself diplomatic recognition with $4 billion of soft loans to help PNG get out of a financial mess of its own making. It will not be to PNG’s good in the long-term.
PNG is richly endowed with natural resources, but like other developing countries so endowed – Nigeria and Angola, for example, — it has made a complete hash of managing them. The richness of the resources makes prospect of getting a slice of the action too attractive.
The PNG Government and some of its people have a convenient scapegoat across the Torres Strait, but it is no solution to point a finger at Australia. It would be tempting for Australia to withdraw aid and make the PNG lie in its Taiwanese bed. The trouble with that approach is that it will punish the innocent – the people of PNG, while leaving the misgovernors in place.