Papua New Guinea (PNG) is the second Pacific nation to join China’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) infrastructure program. Given the concerns sparked by the two countries’ deepening relationship, this presentation will explore the overall pattern of Chinese investment in PNG and the various risks and opportunities for PNG. The organisational structure of the BRI and its impacts on PNG’s economy, aid, domestic politics and sovereignty, environment and labour market will be considered.

About the Speaker

Sarah O’Dowd is a research student at the Australian National University in the College of Asia and the Pacific studying Economics and Asia Pacific Security Studies. She currently works for the East Asia Forum and has previously been published by the Development Policy Centre’s Devpolicy Blog, East Asia Forum and the political risk start-up Foreign Brief.