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Xi, who will be waiting for the 2018 APEC summit in the Port Moresby capital PNG, will then continue on to Brunei and the Philippines, both important claimants in the hotly contested South China Sea.
Facing an ugly hostile US government, pushing back on issues of security and trade, the Chinese government has been attempting to build bridges with regional powers.
"There's a sense that China's feeling a little defensively at the moment," Euan Graham, a senior fellow at Sydney's Lowy Institute, told CNN.
South China Sea by Washington, China, which has stepped up naval operations, warning China it views the widely-disputed territory as international waters.
"It's time to open, I believe in a new chapter in relations with our Pacific family …" This is our home, "Prime Minister Scott Morrison said in a speech on November 8.
'I love Xi Jinping'
Until recently, relations between China and the Philippines had grown closer under President Rodrigo Duterte, who was keen for the economic benefits China could bring.
But six months later, Graham said relations between the two countries have cooled off, prompting Xi's visit in an attempt to repair.
"I think there's a realization (in Manila) that this is actually a fraction of what's actually delivered in the end," he said.
Both China and the Philippines are claims to the South China Sea, a wide stretch of ocean through which every day of the world travels every day.
Efforts to smooth over relations with Manila come as Beijing is pushing for a code of conduct with southeast Asian nations which would help solidify Chinese control over the important stretch of ocean.
But the United States has made it clear it will not tolerate Beijing's control of the South China Sea. Speaking beside his Chinese Counterparts at the US-China Diplomatic and Security Forum in Washington on November 9, US Defense Secretary James Mattis said there would be no lessening in the US freedom of navigation operations.
"The US will continue to fly, and the US is committed to a free and open Indo-Pacific, which is underpinned by a rules-based international order and regional stability, is unwavering," he said.
Billion-dollar diplomacy
Since then, Australia has dramatically upped its public profile in the Pacific Islands. On November 8, Prime Minister Morrison announced a $ 2 billion infrastructure initiative for Australia's Pacific neighbors.
"The world is changing, it's true and we need to ensure that we have a stronger relationship with the rest of the world," Morrison said during the announcement.
But the Chinese government is not giving up on the Pacific, where it has made a substantial diplomatic contribution.
During his time in Papua New Guinea, Xi is expected to meet with the eight leaders of Pacific Islands who have diplomatic relations with Beijing.
"The Chinese often say, 'Distance can not be separated from friends' The vast Pacific Ocean is indeed a bond between China and Pacific island countries, "the article said.
Graham said despite the last minute push by Australia to make up for lost ground, it was facing an uphill battle against the much wealthier China
"It would have been 20 or 30 years ago but the best it can do is to make up for it and lose ground," he said.
