Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday congratulated Papua New Guinea (PNG) on the 49th anniversary of its independence.

In a congratulatory message to Governor-General of Papua New Guinea Bob Dadae, Xi hailed PNG as a good friend and partner of China in the Pacific Island countries, noting that since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1976, the two countries have had frequent high-level exchanges, setting a model of peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation for developing countries.