Mr. Biden is scheduled to stop in the country on May 22, in between his trip to Japan for the G7 summit and his visit to Australia for a meeting with the so-called Quad leaders summit, the White House said Tuesday.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Mr. Biden will meet with Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape and discuss ways to deepen cooperation between the two nations on issues such as climate change and maritime resources. “As a Pacific nation, the United States has deep historical and people-to-people ties with the Pacific Island and this visit — the first time a sitting U.S. President has visited a Pacific Island country — reinforces this critical partnership,” Ms. Jean-Pierre said.
Papua New Guinea is rich in resources but largely undeveloped. By visiting the country, Mr. Biden is seeking to make inroads with its leaders to bolster U.S. efforts to push back against Chinese expansion in the region. The U.S. last year ramped up its diplomacy and financial aid to the Pacific region after China reached a security act with the Solomon Islands and sought, but failed, to achieve a larger pact with 10 island nations.