by the Indonesian government. O'Neill suggested that ULM brings its cause to the United Nations decolonisation committee. This committee rebuffed, however, a petition of 1.8 million West Papuans on the grounds that West Papua was no longer a colony. The Presidents of Vanuatu, Tuvalu, and the Marshall Islands brought the case before the UN General Assembly, but PNG did not join them. APEC and China Hosting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting in 2018 was a highpoint in international relations for O'Neill as prime minister. The meeting was however dominated by disagreement. US president Donald Trump did not come to the meeting and sent his vice president Mike Pence. Pence did however stay in Cairns, Australia and flew daily to PNG. Russia's leader Vladimir Putin did neither attend the conference. China's highest leader Xi Jinping came and stayed in Port Moresby. China contributed massively towards organising the meeting, especially though the building of infrastructure in Port Moresby. The capital was also decked by Chinese flags. Chinese officials dominated the proceedings. They restricted, for example, access for the press to an important sideline meeting of China and Pacific nations. On the other hand, PNG officials reacted by taking matters in their own hand. Chinese officials were escorted out of the building by security, when Rimbink Pato, the PNG minister of foreign affairs was drafting a final communiqué with his staff. The meeting concluded without a joint communiqué because the US and China could not find common terms. That had not happened before at APEC. Australia was also wary of Chinese influence and moved in rapidly before the conference to claim the harbour of Manus Island to prevent this becoming a base for Chinese ships. The expenditure for this conference, especially the purchase of a fleet of Maserati and Bentley mororcars, played a role in the ousting of O'Neill as prime minister. The conference was widely considered as a failure in diplomacy. O'Neill considered organising the APEC meeting however a success. Governance O'Neill was referred to as a controversial Prime Minister when he was returned in 2017. There are laudatory comments on his tenure of office, but overall it has been mired in criticism because of governance issues. These issues predate his appointment as Prime Minister. His supporters point to his success in business before entering politics as qualification for leadership. Opponents argue that his business success is permeated with influence