The Yegiora Files

By Bernard Yegiora PNG often speaks about strengthening research capacity and improving the quality of higher education. What is less clear is how this ambition is translated into practice. One of the most effective models I have encountered comes not from PNG, but from Australia: the Pacific Research Program (PRP) administered by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). The Pacific Research Program works because it treats capacity building as a system, not a slogan. It is deliberately designed around mentorship, exposure to high-quality research environments, and clear performance expectations . In doing so, it offers a practical template for how PNG could strengthen its higher education sector—if we are willing to engage with it strategically. I have participated in several PRP-supported initiatives, including the Lowy Institute Emerging Leaders Dialogue , the Pacific Research Colloquium , and the Pacific Visitor Program at the Australian National University ...

By Bernard Yegiora PNG’s decision to offer scholarships to students from Solomon Islands and Vanuatu appears, at first glance, to be a positive step in regional diplomacy. It signals goodwill, leadership, and people-to-people engagement. But beneath the surface, the policy exposes a deeper structural problem: PNG is expanding scholarships while its universities lack the academic capacity to sustain quality. PNG’s government announces a new scholarship programme for students from Vanuatu and Solomon Islands—an ambitious regional diplomacy move that raises important questions about university capacity, academic quality, and the long-term strategy for higher education internationalisation. The issue is not generosity. It is readiness. I am currently undertaking PhD research in International Relations, a subfield of Political Science. Yet I do not have access to a Papua New Guinean PhD-qualified mentor in Political Science or International Relations who is actively publishing in nation...

(A Revised Reflection) By Bernard Yegiora In May 2012, I published an article on this blog titled “The Challenge of Learning About China.” It was written at a formative stage of my engagement with China, grounded primarily in personal observation. At the time, I was living in northeast China and encountering, for the first time, the scale and speed of urban development that has since become emblematic of China’s transformation. High-rise buildings appeared within months, transport networks expanded rapidly, and entire cityscapes seemed to change almost overnight. The experience provoked curiosity rather than certainty. Harbin Ice and Snow World, 2010 — An illuminated ice sculpture at China’s annual winter festival, showcasing the scale, technical precision, and cultural symbolism of Harbin’s ice architecture, and reflecting the country’s capacity to mobilise art, engineering, and tourism as instruments of modern cultural diplomacy. More than a decade later, both China and my own ...

by Bernard Yegiora Public debate in PNG tends to frame China’s influence almost entirely through infrastructure, loans, and geopolitics. Roads, ports, and Belt and Road headlines dominate commentary. While these issues matter, this framing obscures where China’s most durable and cost-effective influence is actually being built. It is not being built in concrete. It is being built in classrooms.  Online Mandarin language class delivered by a language teacher from a partner Chinese university, with PNG students at the University of Goroka participating as part of higher education exchange and people-to-people cooperation. China’s long-term engagement in PNG is increasingly shaped through higher education exchange programs—scholarships, language training, and public-sector capacity building—that quietly influence skills formation, institutional familiarity, and professional networks over time. These programs receive far less public scrutiny than infrastructure projects, yet their ef...

by Bernard Yegiora The media article on the Madang–Pingtan Silk Road Partnership presents a notable example of sub-national diplomacy in PNG, highlighting a sister-city style Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Madang Province and Pingtan County in China’s Fujian Province. Framed within the broader narrative of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, the agreement reflects growing interest by provincial governments in leveraging international partnerships to support local development objectives. Senior officials from Madang Province and Pingtan County formalise the Silk Road Partnership Memorandum of Understanding in Port Moresby, marking the establishment of a sister-city relationship aimed at strengthening cooperation in tourism, trade, fisheries, education, and people-to-people exchanges between PNG and China. At a descriptive level, the article outlines the signing of the MoU in Port Moresby by senior representatives from both sides. The tone is optimistic and forward-looking, ...

by Bernard Yegiora The publication of my article in the Australian Journal of International Affairs (Volume 79, Issue 6, 2025) coincides with a broader and more pressing issue for PNG: the country has engaged China for five decades, yet it has invested very little in building domestic China expertise capable of informing policy, mentoring scholars, and shaping long-term strategy. The article appears in a s pecial anniversary issue marking 50 years of PNG’s independence , guest edited by Dr Henry Ivarature . Anniversaries are not simply commemorative moments. They are opportunities to assess institutional capacity, policy maturity, and whether a country has developed the analytical tools needed to manage its most consequential external relationships. China is unquestionably one of those relationships. My contribution examines five decades of China–PNG relations , situating current debates within a longer historical arc. The core finding is straightforward: China’s presence in PNG is ...

 by Bernard Yegiora Strengthening the BA (PNG & International Studies) program requires more than mentoring systems within the four strands. It also requires forging strategic partnerships with organisations whose work aligns directly with the disciplines outlined in our PSD—International Relations, Political Studies, Community Development, and Culture Studies. These partnerships ensure that our units remain relevant, applied, and connected to the nation’s evolving development and governance landscape. Categorization of units in the Program Specification Document For the International Relations strand, government institutions responsible for diplomacy and national security are essential partners. The Department of Foreign Affairs, the Department of Prime Minister & National Executive Council (PM&NEC), and the National Intelligence Organization provide critical exposure to foreign policy formulation and national security coordination. Regionally, organisations such as th...

by Bernard Yegiora The BA (PNG and International Studies) program is anchored in four disciplinary strands—International Relations, Political Studies, Community Development, and Culture Studies. These strands form the academic framework of the program and are clearly articulated in the Program Specification Document (PSD). Each strand carries its own theoretical foundations and methodological expectations, requiring appropriate disciplinary leadership to maintain cohesion and academic integrity. Categorization of units in the Program Specification Document Strengthening the program now demands a structured academic mentorship system embedded within each strand. Strand leadership is not confined to classroom delivery. It involves guiding junior colleagues, protecting disciplinary standards, and sustaining the intellectual direction of the curriculum. This structured approach is essential for quality assurance and long-term program development. The International Relations strand provi...