Biden to be first sitting president to visit Papua New Guinea

President Biden will visit Papua New Guinea later this month, a trip that will make him the first sitting U.S. president to travel to the Pacific island country.

The president will stop in Papua New Guinea while he is traveling from the Group of Seven (G7) Leaders’ Summit in Hiroshima, Japan, to the Quad Leaders’ Summit in Sydney, Australia, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre announced on Tuesday.

He will meet with Prime Minister James Marape of Papua New Guinea to “discuss ways to deepen cooperation on challenges critical to the region and to the United States, such as combating climate change, protecting maritime resources, and advancing resilient and inclusive economic growth,” according to Jean-Pierre.

She said the United States has “deep historical and people-to-people ties with the Pacific islands,” and the historic visit will further reinforce the partnership.

Biden will attend the G7 in Hiroshima from May 19-21 and the Quad Leaders’ Summit on May 24.

Papua New Guinea, the third largest island country in the world, is just north of Australia and, while largely undeveloped, is rich in natural resources like crude oil, gold, and copper.

Marape said in April that Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi would visit the capital, Port Moresby, on May 22, Reuters reported.

Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Papua New Guinea in 2018 for an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders Meeting. Former Vice President Mike Pence represented the U.S. at that summit.