Tonga government denies accusations over Chinese aid [1]
Thursday, February 8, 2018 - 21:50. Updated on Thursday, February 22, 2018 - 12:42.
The Government of Tonga is dismissing accusations by a prominent Australian newspaper that China’s foreign aid is hurting Tonga’s economy. The news article claimed that many Tongans believe that they have been "sold out by the Tongan Government”.
In a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office on Monday, the Tonga Government commended China for offering development aid to Tonga, and accredited China’s foreign aid to Tonga’s national development.
The statement referred specifically to an article that was titled ‘Pacific nations drowning in Chinese debt’ – published by The Australian newspaper on 29 January 2018.
The article rebukes the good-will of China’s development aid to the Pacific, including gifts such as the recently completed St George Palace. The article also promulgates that Chinese aid is causing “financial distress” in the region.
The Australian attracted attention earlier last month when it published another article containing comments from Australia’s Development Minister Concetta Fierravanti-Wells, who berated Chinese development aid projects in the Pacific. Following the article’s publication, Fierravanti-Wells was accused of promoting Sinophobia and became the subject of a formal complaint by China’s Foreign Ministry.
In its Monday statement, the Tonga Government applauded China’s assistance and stated, “Tonga’s achievements to date, in the areas of national development is much rendered to China’s responsive programme of Economic and Technical Cooperation…". The statement added, “Tonga has therefore benefitted remarkably from the assistance provided by China. The diplomatic relations between the Government of the People’s Republic of China and the Government of the Kingdom of Tonga will continue to remain strong.”
The Tonga government also addressed in its statement, assertions by The Australian that Tonga had incurred a foreign debt of $237.7 million as a result of borrowing large loans from China, stating that, “In the wake of the riots in 2006, the Government of Tonga had no choice but to welcome the assistance offered promptly by the People’s Republic of China with the rebuilding of the Nuku’alofa Central Business District (CBD), in our road to recovery.”
The Prime Minister's Office, however, did not address assertions by The Australian that the deadline for repaying principle loans from China was set for this year 2018 and 2019.
Despite the approaching deadline, the Tonga Government last year requested more aid to build a $25 million sporting complex and an estimated $12 million Golf Course.