Tonga lauds friendly relations with China, vows to stick to one-China policy

Tonga's King Tupou VI (R) meets with visiting Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Nuku'alofa, Tonga, May 31, 2022. (Xinhua)

NUKU'ALOFA, May 31 (Xinhua) -- Tonga's King Tupou VI said on Tuesday that Tonga and China have witnessed vigorous development of their ties since the establishment of diplomatic relations, and vowed to stick to the one-China policy and promote even greater development of bilateral ties.

Tupou VI made the remarks at a meeting with visiting Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

As facts have proven, Tupou VI said, Chinese friendship has always been based on deeds rather than words.

When Tonga was faced with multiple challenges at the time, including volcanic eruption, tsunami, suspension of flights and the COVID-19 pandemic, China came to its assistance without hesitation, winning wide praise and heartfelt gratitude from the Tongan people, Tupou VI said.

Tupou VI said he was glad to see the successful holding of the second China-Pacific Island Countries Foreign Ministers' Meeting and thanked the Chinese delegation for overcoming the difficulties caused by the pandemic to visit South Pacific island countries.

Some people have commented on Pacific island countries' cooperation with China. As sovereign states, Pacific island countries have the right to choose how they deal with other countries, Tupou VI said.

For his part, Wang said under the guidance of the two heads of the state, China-Tonga relations have maintained a steady and sound momentum of development, noting that after Tonga was hit by a massive volcanic eruption, various departments in China raced against time to deliver relief supplies to Tonga.

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, China has provided many batches of emergency supplies to Tonga in a timely manner, which has further enhanced the friendship between the two countries, Wang said.

China will, as always, respect Tonga's unique national conditions and governance model, support Tonga in safeguarding its independence, sovereignty and social stability, Wang said, wishing the Tongan people a happy life and better development.

Wang said that his visit to Tonga, as part of his tour to South Pacific island countries, aims at putting into practice the diplomatic vision that all countries, big or small, are equal, and taking concrete measures to support Tonga's post-disaster recovery and reconstruction.

China will prove with facts that his ongoing trip to the South Pacific region is a trip of friendship and cooperation, he said.

Noting that as a developing country itself, China fully understands the legitimate needs and urgent aspirations of other developing countries, especially the small and medium-sized countries, Wang said China is ready to do its utmost to help other developing countries catch up with the trend of the times and speed up development and revitalization.

China expects a truly fair world and true equality among all countries, he said.

Tupou VI expressed gratitude for China's establishment of an emergency supplies reserve for Pacific island countries and carrying out cooperation on poverty reduction and climate change.

Wang said China has made specific efforts to build six new platforms for cooperation with Pacific island countries on poverty reduction, climate change, disaster prevention, agriculture and the Juncao technology.

China is willing to share its development experience with Pacific island countries, provide them with personnel, technology and financing support, and help them enhance their capacity for independent development, Wang added.