Biden to meet 18 Pacific leaders in Papua New Guinea

US President Joe Biden will meet 18 leaders from across the South Pacific when he visits Papua New Guinea in May, the country's foreign minister said Saturday, signalling a renewed drive to cultivate regional allies.

Papua New Guinea Foreign Minister Justin Tkatchenko said that Biden plans to meet members of the Pacific Island Forum bloc in the country's capital, as the US tries to ramp up a diplomatic charm offensive in the region.