The agreement comes as Washington seeks to counter Chinese influence in the region. Meanwhile, in separate talks, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met 14 Pacific leaders in the PNG capital, Port Moresby.

Papua New Guinea rapidly shut its international borders at the beginning of the pandemic, limiting infections to just a few hundred and dodging the worst ravages of the global crisis. But more than 1,000 new cases have been uncovered this month alone, and with testing rates still low, there are fears the real total is much higher.

A powerful earthquake has struck an island chain off Papua New Guinea's north coast. A tsunami warning was briefly issued but later lifted. The extent of any damage was expected to become clear after sunrise.

Hospitals in Papua New Guinea are currently treating more men with penile disfigurement and dysfunction gotten from injection procedures gone wrong. Doctors say some of the men, usually aged 18 to 40, inject foreign substances to enlarge their phallus.

Fears are rising of an economic cold war possibly dividing Asia. This comes after the APEC Summit in Papua New Guinea ended on Sunday in disarray.