King wants ships from China to boost Tongan exports [1]
Wednesday, December 1, 1999 - 09:00. Updated on Friday, January 15, 2016 - 13:49.
From Matangi Tonga Magazine Vol. 14, no. 4, December 1999.
After a hectic 10-day state visit to the People’s Republic of China, in mid-October, HM Taufa‘ahau Tupou IV, King of Tonga, looked relaxed in his suite on the 23rd floor of the Park Lane Hotel, one of the many high rise buildings at Causeway Bay. When the usually earth-bound Tongans look at their neighbours here, living several hundred feet above the ground, they can’t help but think of people living like birds in the tree-tops.
It was my fourth meeting with the King, whom I had interviewed twice in Tonga, and once in Auckland.
The King talked about his first visit to China since Tonga officially established diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic, and terminated its 26-year-old diplomatic relationship with Taiwan.
By Pesi Fonua
Pesi: The Bilateral Trade Agreement that was signed in Beijing on October 7, how important is it for Tonga?
HM King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV: This is my second visit to China, and the signing of the Bilateral Trade Agreement follows on from when Tonga and China established their diplomatic relationship last year.
Is it normal procedure for diplomatic relations to be established first, before a bilateral trade agreement is signed?
Yes, yes.
Will it have an impact on our exports and imports?
Yes, because products which are made in China, such as motor vehicles, aircraft and ships are cheaper than they are in other parts of the world.
The Chinese have a shipping line that sails direct from here to New Zealand, and we are negotiating with them for their ships to call into Tonga. If they agree it could mean that goods for other island countries could be off-loaded in Nuku’alofa to be redistributed by smaller ships to other island countries, such as New Caledonia, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Rarotonga, and French Polynesia.
If we trade with China, do we have to change our method of production and the kind of products that we are producing for export?
There are a lot of products that we can buy from China, but we must have the foreign currency to buy them with, and that is why we have been trying to market some of our produces to Pago Pago and to explore commercial activities in Hawai‘i, in order to increase our foreign currency earnings.
Building materials, steel, cement and even furniture are very cheap here.
To use Nuku‘alofa as a redistribution point of Chinese goods to the rest of the Pacific Islands, is there a need to expand and to improve our harbour facilities?
Small renovation works will be needed to improve the storing capacity for containers for other island countries.
Why was it so important for you to make the visit to the Autonomous Region of Inner Mongolia, to see the Mausoleum of Genghis Khan?
Genghis Khan was the first person in the world to use canons in warfare. His canon was later copied and modified by the Europeans. Genghis Khan during his conquest conquered India, and established some of his grandchildren there as emperors, before India was taken over by the British.
Comments were made on this visit that perhaps Tongans are related to the Mongolian people?
Yes, there are similarities, and there are links, which can be traced as the Mongolian people migrated southward into Malaysia, Thailand, and Burma.
I noticed on this State Visit, there was a certain warmth from the Chinese leaders and the Chinese people in general toward yourself.
They are generally a very warm and friendly people.
It became irrelevant for Tonga to continue to have diplomatic relations with Taiwan, because Taiwan is only a very small part of China, and there will come a time when they will become part of China, just like Hong Kong and Macau. Macau will become a part of China on December 19. The Chinese army are waiting at the border with Macau to move in at mid-night, so that by the morning of the 19th they will have already occupied all the military camps in Macau.
Following on from the warmth that has been shown by the Chinese on this visit, are there any trade projects that have been confirmed?
The shipyard in Xiamen, has already submitted plans for a 500 tonnes cargo ship, similar to the old Aoniu, and another plan for a 800 tonnes landing craft. The landing craft will be able to carry all the road building equipment, including the asphalt processing unit, trucks, rollers and bulldozers, and wherever road construction is needed the landing craft will sail there. The service that we will be offering will not be restricted only to the islands of Tonga, Vava‘u, Ha‘apai and islands of Niua. Road building contracts could be arranged with other island countries such as American Samoa, Western Samoa, Vanuatu, Fiji, and Cook Islands, Tonga’s road building equipment can be used in other island countries which do not have road building equipment.
On this visit you were also interested in aircraft?
The Chinese also build aircraft but it is not clear if their aircraft have been certified by the American FAA. If they have not been then they will not be allowed to land in American Samoa, so we will have to find out. But similar kinds of aircraft are built in Canada by Boeing—the turbo aircraft with 50 seats, and they have been certified by the American FAA.
Looking at the way this country is developing it appears that China is at the door to become a world leader?
They still have a lot of problems but they have made big progress, particularly in education, in their technical education, and they are capable of building tractors, cars, and aircraft. They are very progressive.
History tells us that when you became the Premier of Tonga after the Second World War, you set a new direction for the Tongan economy?
There are a lot of opportunities but nothing has been done about it, like the marketing of our agricultural produce to Ha‘amoa ‘Amelika. Pago Pago has always been there but we don’t export our agricultural produce there, we were just selling them in Tonga at a lower price. If we will get these two ships, one will run to Ha‘amoa and the other to Fisi.
We are now close to the dawn of the new Millennium, is there a particular project that you would have liked to see completed?
We need these two ships to do our work, because the ships that we have at the moment are too small and slow. A plan of a cargo ship is currently being drawn to be sent over to Tonga soon, and we have also requested the Navy for the plan of a landing craft, for a landing craft to be built and sent over.
With regards to our coming Millennium celebration…
There will be prayers, and other activities.
Will you be in Tongatapu or in outer islands during the Millennium celebration?
Maybe in Tongatapu.
What would you have to say about the state of our rugby, and what we have achieved during the 1999 Rugby World Cup?
It is alright, but there was some foul play in our game with England.