The leaders of the United States and India are to attend next month's summit of the 18 nations and territories of the Pacific Islands Forum.

Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape made the announcement on Sunday.

Joe Biden and Narendra Modi will stop in Papua New Guinea on the way to Australia for the Quad summit in Sydney on May 24th. The four-way framework consists of Australia, Japan, the United States and India.

Biden's stopover would be the first visit by a sitting US President to the resource-rich but largely undeveloped country of nearly 10 million people just north of Australia.

Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Papua New Guniea in 2018.
The country is being courted by China and by the US and its allies, as Marape seeks to boost foreign investment.

Washington has stepped up efforts to counter Beijing's growing influence in the region after China struck a security pact with the Solomon Islands last year.