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Biden’s upcoming visit to Port Moresby on May 22 would mark the first time a sitting US president has visited Papua New Guinea, a country that is rich in resources but still largely underdeveloped.
On Sunday, Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape announced that next month, Pacific Islands leaders would participate in a “historic” meeting focused on the future, joined by US President Joe Biden and his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi.
Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape described the upcoming meeting between US President Joe Biden, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Pacific Islands leaders as a significant and forward-looking event. “This is a historic occasion and a meeting of global superpowers with a futuristic vision, in the largest country in the Pacific,” Marape stated. Biden’s visit to the capital city of Port Moresby on May 22 will mark the first time a sitting US president has traveled to the resource-rich yet underdeveloped nation of 9.4 million people situated north of Australia.
Papua New Guinea is a country of increasing interest to both China and the US and its allies, as Prime Minister James Marape seeks to attract foreign investment. China’s President Xi Jinping visited the country in 2018, while Washington has recently stepped up its efforts to counter Beijing’s growing influence in the region, particularly after China formed a security pact with the Solomon Islands in 2022. Despite this, China was unsuccessful in securing a wider security and trade agreement with 10 Pacific island nations.
Papua New Guinea has received significant aid and infrastructure support from China and Australia. The country is currently in negotiations for security agreements with both the United States and Australia, and its Prime Minister, James Marape, has been invited to visit Beijing later this year. Marape emphasized the importance of Papua New Guinea and the Pacific in the Indo-Pacific region, citing their combined forest and sea areas as the world’s largest carbon sink, and the region’s largest sea and air space.
The Pacific Islands Forum comprises 18 countries and territories, covering a vast area of 30 million square kilometers (10 million square miles) of ocean. The leaders of the region have identified climate change as the most significant security threat, given the increasing frequency of cyclones and the rising sea levels.
On their way to attend the May 24 summit of the Quad, which includes Japan and Australia, Modi and Biden will make a stop in Papua New Guinea. Marape stated that he had invited Biden during their meeting in Washington last year and he feels honored that Biden has fulfilled his promise to visit their country.
