Chinese President Xi Jinping and then Papua New Guinea (PNG) Prime Minister Peter O'Neill attend the opening ceremony of Butuka Academy, a PNG and China friendship school, in Port Moresby, PNG, on November 16, 2018. (Photo: Xinhua) 

BEIJING (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping recently urged the young generations of China and Papua New Guinea (PNG) to contribute to deepening the friendship between the two countries.

Xi made the remarks last week in a reply letter to Geoffrey Loi, a PNG table tennis player who had written to the Chinese leader to extend his heartfelt gratitude for Xi's support for the table tennis cause in PNG and express his passion for the Chinese culture and his best wishes for better China-PNG relations.

In his reply, Xi recalled his visit to PNG last year, during which he watched Loi and his teammates training with their Chinese coach.

The president congratulated the PNG table tennis team on the good results they won in the Pacific Games, and wished Loi and the PNG team new successes.

After receiving training in China Table Tennis College, the PNG table tennis team won two silver medals in the Pacific Games in July, the best result in its history, drawing enthusiastic responses from local communities.