Wang Yi Talks about China's 'Four-pronged Adherence' to Developing Relations with Pacific Island Countries

On May 26, 2022 local time, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi introduced the purposes of his trip to the South Pacific region when he and Foreign Minister of Solomon Islands Jeremiah Manele jointly met the press in Honiara.

Wang Yi said, in 2018, President Xi Jinping had a group meeting with leaders of Pacific Island Countries (PICs), during which they unanimously agreed to elevate bilateral relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership featuring mutual respect and common development, thus opening a new chapter in China-PICs relations. In recent years, bilateral relations have witnessed unprecedented development, bringing tangible benefits to the people in the region and also setting a fine example for South-South cooperation. Two days ago, the Chinese Foreign Ministry released the "Fact Sheet: Cooperation Between China and Pacific Island Countries", and Guangdong, Shandong and Fujian provinces released lists of cooperation achievements with PICs respectively. This fully attests to the fact that friendly cooperation with PICs has become the joint action of various departments of China, as well as at sub-national levels.

Wang Yi stressed that China will continue to pursue "four-pronged adherence" to developing relations with PICs.

First, adhere to treating each other as equals. It's China's consistent stance that all countries, big or small, are equal. When developing friendly relations with PICs, China will uphold justice while pursuing shared interests and follow the principle of sincerity, real results, affinity and good faith. China regards PICs as an important part of South-South cooperation and an important partner in building a community with a shared future for mankind.

Second, adhere to mutual respect. China always respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of PICs, as well as the PICs people's efforts to explore development paths in line with their own national conditions. When conducting exchanges and cooperation with PICs, we have never interfered in the internal affairs of PICs, never attached any political strings, and never sought any geopolitical self-interest.

Third, adhere to win-win cooperation. China will continue to be an advocate, builder and promoter of PICs development. China stays committed to deepening pragmatic cooperation with PICs in various fields and sincerely helping PICs develop economies, improve people's well-being and enhance the capacity for self-driven development, and shares the dividends of China's development with the PICs people.

Fourth, adhere to openness and inclusiveness. The South Pacific region should be a stage for cooperation, rather than an arena for vicious competition. China's cooperation with PICs doesn't target any country, nor will it be disrupted by any country. At the same time, we respect the various ties that PICs have established with other countries, and are open-minded about carrying out more tripartite cooperation with other countries inside and outside the region.