BEIJING: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Thursday met with Minister for Foreign Affairs Justin Tkatchenko of Papua New Guinea (PNG) in Xiamen, who is in China to attend the Third China-Pacific Island Countries Foreign Ministers’ Meeting.
Wang Yi hailed the enduring friendship between China and PNG, describing it as a valuable asset forged across mountains and seas and tested by time.
Guided by generations of leadership from both nations, China and PNG have become trusted friends, reliable partners in development, and close brothers in international affairs, he added.
Congratulating PNG on the 50th anniversary of its independence, Wang noted that next year will mark 50 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Wang called on the two sides to summarize the successful experiences in promoting bilateral relations and jointly chart the course for the next five decades.
To further deepen cooperation, Wang called for the early launch of negotiations on a bilateral free trade agreement and urged full implementation of the consensus reached by the two countries’ leaders.
The Chinese foreign minister pointed out that the Third China-Pacific Island Countries Foreign Ministers’ Meeting reached new consensus on building a community with a shared future between China and Pacific Island countries.
He highlighted PNG’s unique role as a major country in the South Pacific and a gateway to Asia, and 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.
Wang Yi holds talks with Justin Tkatchenko in Xiamen, Fujian Province, May 29, 2025. /Chinese Foreign Ministry
Minister Tkatchenko reaffirmed the critical importance of China-PNG relations, noting that the PNG government remains firmly committed to the one-China policy and supports China’s efforts to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
He expressed the desire to enhance Belt and Road cooperation and deepen bilateral practical collaboration in areas such as agriculture, education, telecommunications, energy, and local development, in support of PNG’s long-term sustainable growth.
Wang commended PNG’s consistent adherence to the one-China principle. Stressing Xiamen lies just across the water from Taiwan’s Kinmen Island, Wang said that “no one longs for peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits more earnestly than we do.”
“The two sides of the Straits belong to one China – this is not only historical fact but present reality,” he said.
Wang also emphasized that realizing national reunification is the long-cherished aspiration of the Chinese nation and an unstoppable historical trend.
He firmly denounced “Taiwan independence” separatist activities, calling them unconstitutional, contrary to the purposes of the UN Charter, and in defiance of the global consensus on the one-China principle.
“Taiwan independence” separatists’ actions will be opposed by the international community, he added.
