Papua New Guinea government’s recent announcement that it will gazette 7,500 sq. miles of the Bismarck Sea as marine protected areas that are home to sharks, rays, dolphins, and much more has to be seen against the bizarre backdrop of last week’s 21-member Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conference in Port Moresby, where Chinese diplomats wrecked the usual consensus agreement settled by the 20 other member countries and broke out in applause when it died at their hands, to the disgust of other participants.