WITH the 50th Anniversary of Japan-Papua New Guinea (PNG) Diplomatic Relations to be celebrated this year, the Minister for International Trade and Investment & Yangoru-Saussia MP, Hon. Richard Maru, says it is time both countries anchor their long and enduring trade and investment relationship through an Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) formulated along the lines of the European Union (EU)-PNG EPA.
Minister Maru in his recent meeting with the new Japanese Ambassador to PNG, His Excellency, Hisanobu Mochizuki, said: “From the trade and investment point of view, we are very grateful for the trade surplus that we enjoy with Japan, however, despite the trade surplus that we are enjoying since we started to supply LNG to Japan, and despite access for Japanese fishing boats to fish our waters, I am disappointed that we do not have an EPA with Japan. We have one with the EU and we are negotiating Free Trade Agreement with China and Indonesia. Japan is our very long and most enduring partner and we need to anchor our relationship through an EPA. This is a bridge that has obviously been missing for the last 50 years. We want to commence the discussion and start this process towards a formal EPA with Japan that will cover everything from trading of goods, concessional funding, scholarships, and other aspects all in one Agreement.”
Minister Maru further stated: “Japan is one country that we really value our relationship with and that is why we will have two pavilions at the upcoming World Expo, which is something we have never done before in the previous World Expos. We will have one pavilion at the Expo Site in Osaka where only digital exhibition will be allowed, and we will have another pavilion, a Commercial Centre in Tokyo where we will market and promote our country, our provinces, our tourism potential, our different products, our mining and petroleum industry, and investment opportunities etc to the investors and visitors from all around the world who will visit our Commercial Centre. We are making a big effort to really promote PNG at this Expo and also to affirm our relationship with Japan during its host year. We are giving Japan special significance, recognition and support in its host year.”
Minister Maru said he will visit the locations of the two pavilions in February and he hoped to meet with the Japanese Trade Minister during his visit to have the first formal bilateral trade meeting between the two countries.
Minister Maru also raised to His Excellency Mochizuki for Japan to consider investing in Rabaul, East New Britain Province, a place and province that holds a special history between the two countries.
“Despite a lot of good aid that Japan has been giving to PNG including the Nadzab Tomodachi International Airport, we, as the Government and the country feel that the place for Japan to invest in is Rabaul because it has all the cemeteries, caves, war relics, all the Japanese memorials, however, we do not have Japanese investment there and no direct flight connection between Japan and Rabaul,” said Minister Maru.
Minister Maru said to His Excellency Mochizuki: “We are hoping that in your time as the Japanese Ambassador to PNG we can start to work on a plan of action to put in infrastructure, build a new Tokua International Airport at the cost of K1.2 billion through JICA, and have direct flights from Japan to Rabaul. We want to make Rabaul a ‘Little Japan’. We can even put up a proper Japanese War Museum because the Government has already decided that East New Britain will be the main tourism province in the country. We have to anchor our relationship down to a province or a place that has special history between our two countries like East New Britain Province and East Sepik Province that already has a Peace Park built by the Japanese Government.”
