Wang Yi Holds a Video Meeting with the Cook Islands Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Hon Mark Brown

On June 2, 2022 local time, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi held a video meeting with the Cook Islands Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Hon Mark Brown in Papua New Guinea.

Wang Yi said that since the establishment of diplomatic relations, China and the Cook Islands have been respecting each other and treating each other as equals. The two sides have continued to advance exchanges and cooperation in various fields, with the trade volume between the two countries increasing nearly 300 times. China has actively helped the construction of livelihood projects in the Cook Islands and carried out trilateral cooperation with New Zealand, playing a positive role in promoting local economic and social development and improving people's life in the Cook Islands. The two sides have supported each other in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and further enhanced their friendship. China is willing to take the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations as an opportunity to continuously enhance mutual trust, deepen pragmatic cooperation and bring more benefits to the two peoples.

Wang Yi said that China is willing to discuss and plan the next step of cooperation according to the development needs of the Cook Islands. The two sides can expand cooperation in tourism, infrastructure, education and at the sub-national level to help the economic recovery of the Cook Islands. China is also willing to discuss and conduct more trilateral cooperation on the basis of past successful experience.

Brown thanked China for its long-term and great support for the development of the Cook Islands and its selfless assistance in battling the pandemic when China itself is faced with a heavy anti-pandemic task. He spoke highly of the positive contributions of Chinese enterprises and localities to the construction of infrastructure and improvement of people's livelihood in the Cook Islands. The good relations and close cooperation between the Cook Islands and China are a vivid testament to China's sincere treatment of small countries and its practical actions to practice the concept of mutual benefit and win-win results. The Cook Islands values its relations with China and firmly believes that the future of the Cook Islands is closely tied to China, and is ready to work with China to push for even greater development of bilateral relations in the next 25 years. The Cook Islands actively supports strengthening trilateral cooperation, especially cooperation on mega projects.

Brown said, the Cook Islands attaches great importance to the China-Pacific Island Countries Foreign Ministers' Meeting mechanism and the next cooperation initiatives proposed by China, and is willing to work with Pacific Island Countries (PICs) partners to enhance communication and coordination to better respond to the various challenges posed by the pandemic.

Wang Yi said, all parties agree that China-Pacific Island Countries Foreign Ministers' Meeting has become a beneficial platform and effective mechanism for promoting overall cooperation between China and PICs, and are willing to continue to promote the process and work together to build more consensus for promoting regional development. After the meeting, China issued a position paper on mutual respect and common development with PICs and put forward ideas and initiatives to promote the next step of cooperation. China has been interacting with PICs for nearly half a century, and its cooperation with PICs has always focused on economic development and the improvement of people's livelihoods. China will continue to be a good friend and good partner of PICs, meet challenges together, seek common development, and build a China-Pacific Island Countries community with a shared future. The outdated thinking of using geopolitical rivalry to misinterpret and smear the cooperation between the two sides finds no audience among PICs friends and wins no support. We believe that PICs have the wisdom and ability to overcome temporary difficulties and have a rebirth and rejuvenation, and expect PICs to enhance solidarity and adhere to open regionalism.

The two sides agreed to strengthen cooperation in Chinese language education, support and encourage young people in the Cook Islands to learn Chinese, and cultivate more friendly envoys.

Both sides agreed to continue to support each other in the international community.