Former PNG Prime Minister on BRI providing opportunities for development and serving people in PNG

Interview Series: Community with a Shared Future for Mankind

EP17: Former PNG Prime Minister on BRI providing opportunities for development and serving people in PNG

In 2018, when Peter O’Neill was Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea (PNG), he led a delegation to visit China and signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which made PNG the first Pacific island nation to join the BRI. Today, we are very honored to speak with him on topics related to the BRI and China’s other contributions to the development of PNG.

Q1: Hi, Mr. O’Neill. Since PNG is one of the first countries to join the BRI, and it became a BRI member in 2018, why did PNG believe in the BRI in the first place?

Peter O'Neill: When we signed the Belt and Road Initiative program, I knew the opportunities that this initiative presented, especially the vision that President Xi Jinping had about linking China and the trade and investment opportunities with other countries, and I wanted Papua New Guinea to be the first among many to participate in that. This is because of our continued friendly relationship close to 50 years. So far, the initiative has delivered quite substantially in Papua New Guinea, and we hope it will continue.

Q2: Can you provide some examples of BRI projects helping improve infrastructure, health care, and education in PNG?

Peter O'Neill: We have built many road infrastructures in the country. We’ve built new hospitals that is improving health care. Some of the largest hospitals in Papua New Guinea is built by Chinese funding. Some of the universities in my own province, a university called Western Pacific University is built by Chinese funding. We’ve got very one of the largest high schools in the country called "Butuka" funded by Chinese infrastructure. It is there and it is serving the people.

Q3: Since China has helped PNG development in many different areas, can you also speak about China’s economic contribution to PNG?

Peter O'Neill: China is contributing towards improving our economy itself. China is one of our biggest importers of our resources. We sell gold and copper and oil and gas to China, which is bringing revenue for our country and building our economy.

Q4: Finally, can you make a summary of the China-PNG partnership? In the future, what do you expect of China’s role in PNG and in the Pacific region?

Peter O'Neill: There’s a lot to thank China, and China is a very good partner for PNG. We provide the resources, they build infrastructure for us, and they improve our economy.

I think it is important to note that China is doing a lot more than many other development partners in building roads, schools, hospitals, airports, ports, and the list goes on. So China’s role is a very active role in the Pacific, and we hope that it will continue.