PM Jacinda Ardern arriving in PNG. Photo / Audrey Young
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has arrived in Papua New Guinea tonight for her second summit in a week, Apec.
She was greeted at Port Moresby airport with a traditional tribal welcome.
The New Zealand Air Force Boeing 757 200 was dwarfed by two China Air 747 jumbo jets.
Many of the 21 leaders will be the same as those she met at the East Asia Summit in Singapore.
But Russian President Vladimir Putin has sent Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev and China's President Xi Jinping will be there.
Xi arrived in PNG on Thursday for a state visit with much fanfare including China-style giant billboards of the Chinese leader.
He has also held his own meeting with PNG and the seven other Pacific leaders that have diplomatic relations with China: Fiji, Cook Islands, Samoa, Tonga, Vanuatu, Federated States of Micronesia and Niue.
Ardern and the Apec leaders are scheduled to meet them too, before a gala dinner.
Xi announced the start of free trade talks with Papua New Guinea.
Xi reportedly extended China's loans to PNG, and approved a mining project worth over $1 billion.
Several other countries are reportedly set to unveil further development assistance to PNG in a bid to counter China's influence.
The Australian reported on Saturday that Australia, the United States, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand will co-operate on a major energy and internet plan.
It's understood a NZDF aircraft and multiple helicopters are involved.