According to Foreign Minister Justin Tkatchenko, who was speaking about the preparations for the symbolic but brief trip, United States President Joe Biden will make history by being the first sitting president of the United States to visit Papua New Guinea in at least a century.
The foreign ministry said that Biden will visit Port Moresby in May as planned on his way to the G7 summit in Japan and the Quad summit in Australia.
“He is coming on the 22nd, in the morning, and will be here for three hours only,” said Tkatchenko said, stating that the meeting is likely to focus on security, economy, and climate change.
The US president’s visit represents an acceptance of the rapidly expanding strategic significance of Papua New Guinea as the US and its allies compete with China for influence throughout the Asia-Pacific region.
Chinese flags were raised throughout the capital city of Port Moresby in anticipation of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s arrival there in the year 20218. His convoy was also sped by the cheering populace.
The entire world viewed Jinping’s visit as Beijing’s greatest diplomatic victory. The growing Chinese investment in the resource-rich Melanesian country has alarmed US and Australian officials. (https://flathatnews.com)
A combined naval station on Manus Island was suggested by Washington in response to worries that China was planning to establish a military base there.
In the past, a number of US secretaries of state have traveled to Papua New Guinea, including Hillary Clinton and Mike Pence, who served as vice president at the time and filled in for former president Donald Trump when he canceled his trip to a regional summit.
No current president of the United States has visited Papua New Guinea, according to State Department records that go back to Theodore Roosevelt’s presidency in 1901.