Papua New Guinea’s prime minister is on a visit to China, with stops in Beijing and Hong Kong.
Prime Minister James Marape is focusing on investment and security cooperation in his China meetings.
He was scheduled to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang in Beijing, with a later stop in Hong Kong.
The travels come as the latest part of a Pacific Islands rivalry of influence between China and the United States.
This summer, the state-owned Bank of China opened its first representative office in Papua New Guinea — and the two countries have been discussing a free trade agreement.
Marape is also looking for Chinese investment in enterprises ranging from manufacturing plants to forestry, fisheries and coffee operations.
At the same time, the U.S. has also been diplomatically active with Papua New Guinea.
Just last month Marape was part of a conference with other Pacific Island leaders in Washington.
Earlier this year, Papua New Guinea signed a defense agreement with the United States that would give the U.S. military wide-ranging access to six air and sea ports.
Beijing’s influence with Pacific island nations has increased over the past two decades. Through a combination of trade, infrastructure and aid, it is seeking to isolate Taiwan diplomatically.
