China’s Xi supports stronger international role for Papua New Guinea

Xi made the comments in a meeting with Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape, who was in Beijing to attend this week's Belt and Road Forum. The Pacific Islands nation, which signed a defence cooperation agreement with the United States in May, said China was a significant infrastructure and roads partner. A resource-rich but underdeveloped nation north of Australia, Papua New Guinea is seeking greater foreign investment and Asian customers for a new gas project.