INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Image copyrightEPAImage caption
Most locals aren't exactly fans of the summitry
Papua New Guinea (PNG)
might be the least likely place to spot world leaders shaking hands
But that's exactly what's happening over the next few days
Notoriously dangerous Port Moresby is hosting the Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation (Apec) summit this week, and it's shaping up to be
quite an unusual meeting.Among the stranger features of the gathering: some of the thousands of delegates and media will be staying on
cruise ships because of a lack of hotels, while a multinational security force has been assembled to keep the city safe.But many locals have
expressed frustration over millions of dollars spent on the gathering, including on luxury Maserati cars, at a time when the impoverished
country faces many challenges.All things considered there is intense anticipation about whether the Pacific country will be able to cope
with such a huge international event.What should we expectApec bundles 21 countries from both sides of the Pacific and there are big names
on the PNG ticket: China's President Xi Jinping, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and US Vice President Mike Pence are all due to
attend.US President Donald Trump and Russia's Vladimir Putin will be missing, despite having attended last year's summit in
Vietnam.Overall, the 21 countries' representatives - together with a host of business delegates - make up some 15,000 attendees in
total.Image copyrightEPAImage caption
Port Moresby is under tight security for the summit
That's a lot
of people for a city of 300,000, roughly half of whom live in squatter settlements
Port Moresby is notoriously dangerous, known for rampant crime, corruption and street gangs.Foreign journalists travelling to the summit are
commonly warned by their local co-ordinators stick to a 1700 curfew
It's deemed to be too dangerous to be out after that time.International troops It is no surprise then that in the run-up to the event, the
summit's unlikely location has largely overshadowed news about the actual agenda
So how does PNG plan to stage an event like this With a little help from its friends
That's mostly Australia, the US and New Zealand
All three countries have sent special forces to make sure that attendees will be safe.Image copyrightAFPImage caption
Ships from Australia, New Zealand and the US are patrolling the waters
That means the place is swarming with foreign
military and the harbour is packed with military vessels
Australia has even sent a helicopter carrier, fighter jets and a surveillance aircraft
Cruise ships turned hotelsAccommodation is the next problem
How to house the thousands of delegates In addition to the city's hotels, there are three cruise liners moored in the harbour for
delegates and the media to stay at, and they will also host some of the events
But despite the security, that's still not safe enough for Vice President Pence
He will be staying in Cairns, Australia.Image copyrightEPAImage caption
How about this for a safe hotel option
It's an 850km (520-mile) commute to the summit but apparently still deemed a better option than for Mr Pence to stay in the host
city itself.Why PNGPort Moresby was ranked the fifth least liveable city in 2018 by the Economist Intelligence Unit, and the country is the
poorest member of the Apec grouping
About 40% of the population are living on less than $1 a day, according to the UN, and in June the government declared a national public
health emergency after an outbreak of polio.Take all this, add the security problem and you will probably wonder why PNG was chosen to host
a summit of this level in the first place
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Local security will get massive international help
The decision was
taken five years ago, at a time when the country was going through a boom period and things were looking up
But in 2014, the price of oil collapsed by half, negatively affecting the energy sector and bringing economic momentum to a brutal halt
Yet the decision on the summit venue had already been made.Officials in Port Moresby are quick to say the event will lift the country's
international standing and bring in investment and trade deals, things that PNG dearly needs
But that narrative has failed to convince many people in the country
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Are 40 Maseratis simply standard for a global summit
Already
doubtful that the one-week summitry blitz was really a good idea, their scepticism wasn't exactly helped when the government bought some 40
luxury Maserati cars for the summit
Faced with a wave of criticism, authorities have defended the super cars, saying they will be sold again after the event and won't add to
better invested in one of the country's many more urgent problems
