Last Week in the Pacific: Xi to PM Marape: “I Give You Guangdong”
While PM Marape toured Guangdong, China expanded its medical services in the Solomon Islands and Samoa.
In the Solomon Islands, the Chinese medical team launched neurosurgery and breast surgery clinics. In Samoa, China’s medical team added Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) to its services.
TCM now features in China’s medical programs across the Pacific Islands. This monitor has tracked Chinese ambassadors in several countries promoting TCM clinics as a central element of China’s health aid.
Summary of PRC Activity
Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister James Marape led a delegation to Guangdong Province from 27–30 April, framing the visit around a suggestion from President Xi to work directly with Guangdong as PNG’s primary Chinese partner. The PNG–China Business Roundtable anchored the trip, drawing more than 250 enterprises. Marape also met separately with executives of Chinese companies operating in PNG.
This Week’s Big Theme:
PM Marape in Guangdong
Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister James Marape traveled to Guangdong Province from 27–30 April for an investment and diplomatic tour—his second visit to the Chinese province. Marape brought a delegation that included Trade Minister Richard Maru; Selwyn Siliman of the PNG Ports Corporation; Jesse Tukup Anjen, CEO of the Cocoa Board of PNG; and several members of Parliament, among others. Before departing, Marape told reporters that during a previous visit to China, President Xi said “I give you Guangdong Province to work with.” Marape used this trip to act on that offer, developing commercial ties to increase trade and investment from Guangdong to PNG.
Chinese officials greeted Marape and his delegation upon arrival, including Wang Xi a member of the Standing Committee of the CCP Guangdong Provincial Committee and Vice-Governor of the province; Yang Xiaoguang, China’s ambassador to Papua New Guinea; Qian Bo, Special Envoy for Pacific Island Countries Affairs; and Ma Wenfeng, Director General of the Foreign Affairs Office of the Guangdong Province. All four officials accompanied PM Marape throughout the visit.
The PNG–China Business Roundtable in Guangzhou anchored the trip. The China Council for the Promotion of International Trade and PNG’s Investment Promotion Authority co-hosted the event, which convened more than 250 enterprises across agriculture, energy, infrastructure, telecommunications, and tourism. On trade, the roundtable produced one concrete outcome worth tracking: seven PNG cocoa exporters qualified for direct Chinese market access.
Marape also pressed for continued Chinese investment in PNG’s mining industry. He met with senior executives from Guangdong Rising Holdings Group, a provincial state-owned enterprise with an 80 percent stake in PanAust Ltd., which manages the long-delayed Freida River copper project. Marape announced a dedicated government task force to accelerate approvals for the project. He also met with Chen Dexin, the Chairman and Party Secretary of China Minmetals, parent company of the Ramu NiCo project in Madang Province. Marape invited the firm into a new phase focused on downstream processing and further exploration, and asked the company to send representatives to Port Moresby to sign a formal agreement.
Marape addressed PNG students studying at Guangdong University of Technology and other Chinese schools, calling them a deliberate national investment in PNG’s future. Separately, China’s embassy in PNG posted an application inviting graduates of Chinese universities to visit PNG for academic exchanges and business opportunities. Marape’s Chinese hosts also held a belated birthday celebration for him after meetings on 28 April.
Marape and his delegation met with Dr. Lin Zhanxi, the inventor of Juncao technology, marking 25 years of the program in PNG’s Eastern Highlands. PNG was among the first countries to adopt Juncao technology. The trip closed with a visit to BYD, China’s largest electric vehicle manufacturer. The visit coincides with the 50th anniversary of China–PNG diplomatic relations, with a follow-up investment mission focused on coffee and agriculture planned for later this year.
Supporting Events
- PNG: PM Marape Arrives in Guangdong Province
- PNG: PM Marape Meets with Guangdong Province Governor
- PNG: PM Marape Meets with Juncao Technology Inventor
- PNG: PM Marape Press Conference Before Trip
- PNG: PM Marape Meets with Guangdong Rising Holdings Group
- PNG: PM Marape Meets with China MinMetals
- PNG: PNG-China Business Roundtable
- PNG: PM Marape Visits Guangdong University of Technology
- PNG: PM Marape Visits BYD
* The PRC Pacific Embassies Monitor provides systematic, open-source tracking of Beijing’s public diplomatic activities across the nine Pacific Island Countries hosting Chinese missions. The monitor captures official embassy social media and website posts, supplemented by local sources, to offer a weekly structured intelligence report that bridges critical information gaps on regional engagement.