SYDNEY, April 28, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Papua New Guinea's leader James Marape will meet this week with a Chinese state-owned company in Guangzhou seeking "substantial" progress on a major copper and gold mine project.

The prime minister of the most populous Pacific Islands country arrived in China on Monday for a visit focused on minerals and agriculture trade.

He is expected to meet with Guangdong provincial leaders on Tuesday and with a major investor in the Frieda River copper and gold project on Thursday.

"Our relationship with China has a special focus on making sure trade grows, our economic relationship prospers," Marape told reporters on Monday.

"We want to also progress Frieda River in a substantial manner," he added.

The undeveloped project -- located in Papua New Guinea's remote and mountainous West Sepik Province -- contains one of the world's largest undeveloped copper deposits, according to Chinese-owned mining company PanAust.

PanAust is a subsidiary of Chinese state-owned Guangdong Rising Holding Group.

The Frieda River project is yet to receive a mining lease but was granted environment permits for the mine and a planned airport, port, power grid and hydro-electric project in December.

Environmental groups have raised concerns with the UN Human Rights Council over the impact of the proposed dam and mine on local communities living downriver.

Resource-rich but largely undeveloped Papua New Guinea counts China as its largest export market, even as it has deepened security and defence ties with Canberra and Washington in recent years.