The 66^th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China PRC was celebrated yesterday evening, 29 September at the Kahana Resort, attended by Crown Prince Tupouto’a ‘Ulukalala and Crown Princess Sinaitakala.

The celebration was marked with the display of Chinese art work, and a dinner of Chinese cuisine.

In a commemorative speech by HE Huang Huaguang, the People’s Republic of China’s ambassador Tonga, highlighted Chinese assistance to Tonga, including:

• Goods valued at $5 million pa’anga, to enable Tonga to address climate change.
• 25 Scholarships for Tongan students to study in China.
• Providing Chinese quarantine experts to visit Tonga next month to pave the way for the export of Tongan squash to Chinese market.
• China will fund the construction of a gymnasium to enable Tonga to host 2019 South Pacific Games.

HE Mr Huang Huaguang said that China will give developing countries around the world a variety of assistance, enabling them to reach the five targets set out in the UN Post-2015 development agenda.

This included setting up a fund, with initial contribution of US$2 billion, to support South-South cooperation and assist developing countries in implementing their post-2015 development agenda

China will make available US$3 billion for setting up the China South-South Climate Cooperation Fund to support other developing countries to combat climate change.

China will exempt the debt of the outstanding intergovernmental interest-free loans due by the end of 2015 owed by the relevant LDCs, landlocked developing countries and small island developing countries.

In the next five years, China will make available to developing countries 100 poverty reduction programs, 100 agricultural cooperation projects, 100 trade promotion programs, 100 environment protection and climate change programs, 100 hospitals and clinics, as well as 100 schools and vocational training centers.

In the next five years, it will provide 120,000 opportunities and 150,000 scholarships for citizens of developing countries to receive training and education in China, and help nurture 500,000 professional technicians for the developing world.