Stronger ties between Papua New Guinea and Australia will help promote Pacific stability and freedom, Anthony Albanese says, invoking the legacy of World War II struggles in a rebuff to China’s expansionist push across the region.

Arriving in Port Moresby on Monday ahead of a week of Anzac Day commemorations, the prime minister said Australia would help build new defence barracks in PNG, assist with upgrades to six key ports and development of the country’s first two solar farms, while continuing cross-border labour agreements and humanitarian assistance.