US and Papua New Guinea sign security deal

Papua New Guinea prime minister James Marape attends a breakfast meeting (Nick Perry/AP)

The United States has signed a new security pact with Papua New Guinea as it competes with China for influence in the Pacific.

Papua New Guinea’s location just north of Australia makes it strategically significant. It was the site of fierce battles during the Second World War, and with a population of nearly 10 million people it is the most populous Pacific island nation.