China stands ready to work with Papua New Guinea (PNG) to build a higher-level bilateral relationship, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Friday.

The Chinese side is satisfied with the fruits of cooperation with PNG and is confident in the prospects of the bilateral relations, Wang said at a joint press conference with Soroi Eoe, minister of foreign affairs and international trade of PNG, in the capital city of Port Moresby.

He briefed reporters about the consensus both sides have reached to deepen their strategic cooperation following talks with Eoe.

Both sides agree to move their relations forward, support each other's core interests and grave concerns, speed up common development, join hands to face challenges and strengthen multilateral coordination, Wang said.

In particular, the two sides support the establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the South Pacific and call for vigilance on nuclear proliferation risks in the region, said the Chinese diplomat.

Noting that PNG is an important strategic partner of China in the South Pacific, Wang said the Chinese side will work to build the relationship into the "locomotive" of China's relations with the Pacific Island Countries.

For his part, Eoe said PNG appreciates China's commitment to mutual respect, equal treatment and mutually beneficial cooperation, and its philosophy of leaving no country or person behind.

He said Papua New Guinea will always support the one-China principle, support China's legitimate stance on the Taiwan region, Hong Kong, Xinjiang and other Chinese domestic affairs, and stands ready to boost cooperation with China across the board.

During the talks, the two ministers also agreed to advance the docking of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the strategy of Connecting Papua New Guinea, and speed up the feasibility research of a free trade agreement.

In 2019, Papua New Guinea signed a memorandum of understanding on the construction of the China-proposed BRI, the first country in the South Pacific to do so.

Wang and Eoe also agreed that the two countries will boost cooperation on energy, fishery, communications, health, and tap the potential of cooperation on law enforcement and between localities.

After their talks, the two ministers attended a signing ceremony of documents of bilateral cooperation on COVID-19 prevention and control, disaster relief and green development, and witnessed the launching of a minimally invasive surgery center built by the Chinese.

'China is a member of the Pacific family'

China is a member of the Pacific family, PNG Prime Minister James Marape said on Friday during talks with Wang.

The Pacific Ocean links the peoples of PNG and China, and PNG will remain firmly committed to its friendship with China, Marape said.

He said the consensus reached between the two countries is becoming a reality, and the two sides have established strong political relations and close economic and trade ties.

Wang said, the relationship between China and PNG has weathered international storms and the two countries have built up strong mutual trust.

As PNG strides towards revitalization and prosperity, China will always be a good friend and partner that PNG can trust, he said.

Papua New Guinea was the Chinese foreign minister's last leg of a seven-country trip to the Pacific, following his visits of the Solomon Islands, Kiribati, Samoa, Fiji, Tonga and Vanuatu starting from May 26.