King of Tonga Tupou VI Meets with Wang Yi

On May 31, 2022 local time, King of Tonga Tupou VI met with visiting State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Nuku'alofa.

Tupou VI asked Wang Yi to convey his cordial greetings to President Xi Jinping and recalled with pleasure the friendly exchanges he had with President Xi Jinping during his visit to China in 2018 and their successful phone conversation last September. He said, since the establishment of diplomatic ties between Tonga and China 24 years ago, bilateral relations have been developing with great vigor. When Tonga was confronted with the quadruple challenges of the volcano, tsunami, flight interruption and the COVID-19 pandemic, China came to its assistance from thousands of miles away, winning wide praise and heartfelt thanks from the Tongan people. Facts have proved that the friendship with China has always been reflected by concrete actions rather than empty promises. Tonga firmly pursues the one-China principle and will continue to take it as the cornerstone to continuously push forward bilateral relations.

Tupou VI said that he was glad to see the success of the second China-Pacific Island Countries Foreign Ministers' Meeting and thanked the Chinese delegation for paying a visit to South Pacific Island Countries despite the pandemic. Some people have made some comments on the cooperation between Pacific Island Countries (PICs) and China, but sovereign states have the right to opt for how they get along with other countries.

Wang Yi conveyed President Xi Jinping's cordial greetings, saying that His Majesty the King, who had personally facilitated the establishment of diplomatic ties with China as early as when he served as Foreign Minister, is a founder and important promoter of bilateral relations. Under the guidance of the two heads of state, China-Tonga relations have always maintained a steady and sound momentum of development. After the volcanic eruption caused a disaster in Tonga, President Xi Jinping sent a message of condolence at the earliest time possible, and various departments of China took immediate action and raced against time to deliver relief materials. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, China has provided Tonga with many batches of emergency anti-pandemic supplies in a timely manner. The friendship between the two countries has been further elevated during disaster relief and the fight against the pandemic. China will, as always, respect Tonga's unique national conditions and governance model, and support Tonga in safeguarding its independence, sovereignty and social stability. China wishes the Tongan people a happy life and better development.

Wang Yi said, this visit to Tonga, which is a part of his trip to the South Pacific region, embodies a concrete action to practice the diplomatic philosophy that all countries, big or small, are equal, and China will take specific measures to support Tonga in speeding up post-disaster recovery and reconstruction. We will prove with facts that this trip to the South Pacific region is a trip of friendship and cooperation. China is also a developing country. We have a deep understanding of the legitimate needs and urgent aspirations of developing countries, especially small and medium-sized ones, and we are ready to do our utmost to help developing countries catch up with the trend of the times and accelerate development and revitalization. China hopes that the world can be truly fair and all countries are truly equal.

Tupou VI highly appreciated China's efforts to set up a reserve of emergency supplies for PICs and carry out cooperation in poverty alleviation, climate change response and others. Wang Yi said, China has set up six new platforms specifically for PICs, including poverty reduction and development, climate action, disaster preparedness and mitigation, agricultural cooperation, and Juncao technology. China is ready to share its development experience with PICs and provide support in talent, technology, finance and other aspects to help PICs enhance their capacity for self-driven development.

After the meeting, Wang Yi met with Tongan Prime Minister Siaosi Sovaleni and attended the signing ceremony of cooperation documents on disaster prevention and mitigation, agriculture and fisheries, health and others.

On the same day, Wang Yi held talks with Tongan Foreign Minister Fekitamoeloa Katoa 'Utoikamanu.