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Papua New Guinea and the United States signed two new security deals Monday aimed at boosting ties and countering China’s growing influence in the Pacific region, Bloomberg reported.

The agreements came after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Prime Minister James Marape in the island nation’s capital Port Moresby this week.

Originally, President Joe Biden was scheduled to visit the Pacific country – the first US leader to do so – following the Group of Seven summit in Japan. But Biden canceled the visit.

The two deals consisted of the Defense Cooperation Agreement which will “facilitate bilateral and multilateral exercises and engagements.” The agreement also allows the US to be “more responsive in emergency situations, such as those involving humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.”

The second deal, meanwhile, will allow Papua New Guinea to participate in the US Coast Guard’s Shiprider program, an initiative that helps nations protect their sovereignty and natural resources, including fisheries.

Analysts said that both agreements seek to deepen engagement with Papua New Guinea, which is strategically located near trade routes involving US allies Australia and Japan.

The deals come during a period of heightened strategic competition between the US and China in the Pacific, as Beijing continues to ramp up its economic and political clout in the region.

Last year, China signed a security pact with the Solomon Islands, its first in the Pacific and a major diplomatic victory for Beijing.