Papua New Guinea's cabinet has approved a contentious mutual defence treaty with Australia, the Pacific country's prime minister said Thursday, as Canberra seeks to deepen ties with the region and counter Beijing's rising influence.

The deal will see the two nations commit to defending each other from armed attacks as they face "emerging threats" to their security.

But it ran into controversy in Papua New Guinea over fears it would erode the country's hard-fought sovereignty and non-aligned foreign policy.

Officials from the Pacific nation's government's legal office and foreign ministry confirmed the cabinet had approved the deal on Wednesday.

Prime Minister James Marape said the treaty reflected "the depth of trust, history, and shared future between our two nations".

"This treaty a

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