China and PNG Pledge to Boost Cooperation as 50-Year Mark Nears
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Papua New Guinea’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Justin Tkatchenko, on Thursday in Xiamen. The meeting took place during the Third China-Pacific Island Countries Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, highlighting the growing ties between China and the Pacific region.
Wang Yi praised the enduring friendship between China and Papua New Guinea (PNG), calling it a valuable bond forged across mountains and seas and tested by time. He noted that under the guidance of leaders from both nations, China and PNG have become trusted friends and reliable development partners.
As PNG celebrates its 50th anniversary of independence this year, Wang Yi highlighted that next year will mark five decades since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. He emphasized the importance of reflecting on their successful cooperation and planning for the future.
To deepen their collaboration, Wang Yi proposed the early launch of negotiations on a bilateral free trade agreement and stressed the need to implement the consensus reached by the leaders of both countries. He also mentioned that the recent foreign ministers’ meeting resulted in new agreements on building a community with a shared future between China and Pacific Island countries.
“Papua New Guinea holds a unique position as a major country in the South Pacific and a gateway to Asia,” Wang Yi said. He expressed China’s readiness to work with PNG and other island nations to implement the meeting’s outcomes and contribute to regional peace and development.
Minister Tkatchenko reaffirmed the critical importance of China-PNG relations. He stated that the PNG government remains firmly committed to the one-China policy and supports China’s efforts to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
“We are eager to enhance Belt and Road cooperation and deepen our practical collaboration in areas such as agriculture, education, telecommunications, energy, and local development,” Tkatchenko said. He emphasized that these efforts aim to support PNG’s long-term sustainable growth.
Wang Yi commended PNG’s consistent adherence to the one-China principle. Standing in Xiamen, just across the water from Taiwan’s Kinmen Island, he remarked, “No one longs for peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait more earnestly than we do.”
He stressed that both sides of the Strait belong to one China, calling it both a historical fact and present reality. Wang Yi highlighted that achieving national reunification is the long-cherished aspiration of the Chinese nation and an unstoppable historical trend.
He firmly denounced “Taiwan independence” separatist activities, describing them as unconstitutional and contrary to the purposes of the United Nations Charter. “These actions defy the global consensus on the one-China principle and will be opposed by the international community,” he added.
