Will Softball Diplomacy Upset Beijing’s Aggressive Approach?
Australia is reportedly considering committing $600 million to support the formation of an 18th rugby league team in Papua New Guinea (PNG).
Commentary
Will the sponsoring of a hardball game, namely rugby league, help to diminish the influence of hardball diplomacy?
That is the question on many Australian lips as their government allegedly considers committing $600 million (US$380 million) to bankroll an 18th National Rugby League (NRL) team in Papua New Guinea (PNG).
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Rugby league is the national sport of the PNG that captures the imagination, dreams, and spare time of many in the country. To help formalise such a popular sport and incorporate it into Australia’s national professional league will bind the bonds between the two countries. Of that, there is no doubt.
Its effectiveness will depend on how deft-footed the Australian Labor government and its officials are in playing hardball along with this attempt at soft diplomacy.
The handing over of money and support without stamping it with “Australia” has been a long-standing foreign aid failure of our country. People in need gratefully receive the aid but don’t necessarily know from whence it came.
This is a time for the provision of aid to be boldly and blatantly stamped “with love from Australia.” And the administration of the funding will need to be closely monitored to ensure it goes to the players and clubs, and not first-class flights and hotels.
Incorporating a PNG team into the NRL will boost the sport in Australia’s northern neighbour like never before, especially for young aspirant players who will see a new horizon to which they can strive.
The $600 million proposal will be in excess of Australia’s Official Development Assistance provided to PNG last year which totalled $596.2 million. So in the scheme of things, this is a substantial commitment.
Any astute analysis may also ask whether this aid package from left field is also designed to counter the ever-hardball foreign policy of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) dictatorship in the region.
CCP’s Aggressive Expansion
The CCP’s relentless pursuit of Pacific Island nations with offers of largesse, as recently witnessed with the Solomon Islands, includes the duchessing of PNG which now owes 23.7 percent of its international debt
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