Shanxi Province and Western Highlands of Papua New Guinea Signed a Memorandum of Understanding to Develop Friendly Relations

On March 22nd, Jin Xiangjun, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Governor of Shanxi Province, met with Wai Rapa, Governor of Western Highlands. Together, they signed a memorandum of understanding on the development of friendly relations between our province and Western Highlands of Papua New Guinea and witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding on the cooperation between Shanxi Provincial Geological Prospecting Bureau and Western Highlands. Wu Wei, Member of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee and Executive Vice Governor, and Jacob Maki, Member of the National Assembly of Papua New Guinea, attended the meeting.

On behalf of the Provincial Party Committee and the provincial government, Jin Xiangjun extended welcome to Wai Rapa and his delegation for their visit to Shanxi. He gave a brief introduction to Shanxi Province. He said that Shanxi Province was the cultural source of the Chinese civilization, a pleasant and agreeable tourist resort, a mineral treasure land rich in resources, and an open highland that embraces the world. At present, the whole province is guided by Xi Jinping's Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, thoroughly implementing the spirit of the important speech of General Secretary Xi Jinping at the Symposium on Promoting the Rise of the Central Region in the New Era. The whole province is comprehensively and accurately implementing the new development concepts, deeply connecting major national regional development strategies, solidly promoting ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin, and implementing the new strategy on energy security. We will use scientific and technological innovation to lead industrial innovation, accelerate the cultivation and development of new quality productive forces, strive to promote high-quality development, and continue to deepen all-round transformation. China and Papua New Guinea enjoy a long history of exchanges. Western Highlands is in the key location of the Highlands region in Papua New Guinea and has great potential for development. We will take the signing of this memorandum of friendship as an opportunity to further strengthen the friendly exchanges between the two provinces and to push for fruitful results in practical cooperation between the two sides, jointly contributing to the development of China-Papua New Guinea relations and better benefitting the people of the two provinces.

Wai Rapa spoke highly of the economic and social development of our province. He said that Shanxi Province, as a major energy and cultural province in China, had a profound historical heritage and a strong momentum of development. The cooperation between the two sides has broad prospects. They are willing to continue to actively participate in the construction of the "Belt and Road" and take this visit and signing as an opportunity to further leverage their geographical advantages, strengthen the exchanges between the two provinces, and deepen practical cooperation in energy and minerals, economy and trade, agriculture, education, cultural tourism, and infrastructure so as to achieve mutually complementary advantages and win-win development.