WASHINGTON/SYDNEY -- The U.S. and Papua New Guinea are on track to sign a defense cooperation agreement this month, potentially allowing American troops access to the island nation's ports and airports, people familiar with the matter said, as Washington and Beijing race for influence across the Pacific.
U.S. President Joe Biden is scheduled to travel to Papua New Guinea after the Group of Seven's May 19-21 summit in Hiroshima, Japan, though his plans could change depending on progress in debt ceiling talks back home.
