Written Speech delivered by H.E. Ambassador Liu Weimin upon arrival in Tonga.
It is a great pleasure for me to serve as the ninth Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People's Republic of China to the Kingdom of Tonga, which is known as the "Island of Friendship and Love". I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to friends from all walks of life who have long been caring about and supporting the development of China-Tonga relationship. And on behalf of the Chinese Government and the Chinese Embassy in Tonga, I want to take this opportunity to extend my cordial greetings and best wishes to the Royal Family, the Government, the Legislative Assembly, the people of Tonga, as well as to the Chinese community in Tonga.
Tonga is a beautiful pearl in the Pacific with rich history, beautiful scenery and kind people. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1998, China-Tonga relations have maintained steadfast momentum. In March 2018, King Tupou VI paid a state visit to China, where he met and reached extensive consensus with Chinese President Xi Jinping, identifying the direction of the development of the bilateral relations. In November 2018, China and Tonga established a comprehensive strategic partnership featuring mutual respect and common development. Under the strategic guidance of our leadership, bilateral relations have continued to develop on the basis of the One China principle, with deepening political mutual trust and fruitful outcomes of practical cooperation in various fields, which has brought tangible benefits to the two peoples and contributed to peace, stability and development of the region.
China and Tonga are both located in the Asia-Pacific and developing countries. Regardless of the changing international landscape, the two sides have always been good friends who treat each other with sincerity and mutual respect, good partners who seek common development and mutual benefit, and good brothers who know each other well and learn from each other.
China will continue to uphold the “four full respects” policy and work with Pacific Island countries, including Tonga, based on the principles of mutual respect, equal-footed consultation, win-win cooperation, openness and inclusiveness. We will enhance greater synergy between the Belt and Road Initiative, Global Development Initiative and the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent, and further enrich the connotation of China's cooperation with island countries, so as to bring more benefits to the local people and promote the development and revitalization of island countries.
This year marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, and Tonga will host the 53rd Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting. At this important moment, I am honored to serve as Chinese Ambassador to Tonga, keenly aware of the important responsibilities that have been entrusted to me. I will spare no efforts to work with people from all walks of life in Tonga to consolidate the political foundation of bilateral ties, improve the quality and efficiency of our pragmatic cooperation, advance cultural and people-to-people exchanges, and steadily broaden the areas of bilateral cooperation to benefit the two countries and peoples. Let’s work together to open up a new chapter in our comprehensive strategic partnership and build an even closer community with a shared future between China and Pacific Island countries.
Liu Weimin
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People’s Republic of China to the Kingdom of Tonga
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