China’s stranglehold over PNG and South Pacific trade a crisis for Australia

The first is fisheries. And what an absolute debacle our record in this major industry sector is.

When it comes to seafood exports from Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Solomons and Vanuatu we don't even rate. Thailand is the main destination ($300m), followed by Philippines ($199m), Japan ($130m), China ($100m) and the United States ($100m). It can be safely assumed that exports to China are at least double that as there are dozens of Chinese fishing boats operating in the region without any local scrutiny.

Australia imports around half the seafood we consume. It comes from Thailand, China, Bangladesh, and other South East Asian countries, as well as New Zealand.

Papua New Guinea is our closest neighbour. We have an extensive common sea boundary. The fish that inhabit PNG waters also surely inhabit Northern Australian waters.

Yet Australia imports almost no fisheries products from Papua New Guinea, or the Solomon Islands or Vanuatu or Fiji. No wonder China regards our neighbours as "open season" when it comes to fisheries exploitation.

Apparently the "biosecurity" reason that has been used to effectively block PNG fish, prawn and lobster exports to Australia for years remains in place.

Late last year I wrote extensively about plans for a PRC state-owned fishing company – backed by the PRC Embassy in Port Moresby – to build a multi-million dollar "fisheries industry" and large port at Daru, the town closest to Australia, and only about 7km from the northernmost Torres Strait island community.

The project has not advanced but it remains very much alive at least as far as the PRC Embassy is concerned. And it has most certainly not been ruled out by the PNG Government or the Western Province Provincial Government.

Australia has done three fifths of not much in response. An unsuccessful visited by well dressed Australian officials, and a meaningless MOU has been about all that has happened since.

What Australia needs to do is work with the local community to develop a viable fishing industry, including a processing plant, and funding more fishing boats for the local Daru community. And we need to bring the PNG Government on board to ensure the project is effective.

Australia should undertake to take a substantial share of the fish, prawns and other seafood caught in PNG waters and processed at Daru. We should also directly fund local business groups to participate with the assurance we will take as much of the catch and production as possible.

This needs to be a pilot project, one that is emulated in other coastal communities along the Papuan coast in particular. If we do so we won't stop China's fisheries exploitation but we will be able to slow it down, and highlight that our contribution is more sustainable and offers significantly greater benefits to PNG as a whole, and to coastal communities.,