Yesterday, April 1^st, the Prime Minister's Office asserted that “the Tongan government was delighted to receive the eight brand-new boats” from Dongguan in January, even though Chinese Embassy officials concluded later that the hulls were damaged and the fishing boats were not safe to use.

Lopeti Senituli, advisor to the Prime Minister, explained to Matangi Tonga this morning “Well, we were delighted to receive the boats for free. Of course, these were gifts and we assumed that the damages could be easily repaired locally.”

The April 1^st media statement was issued by the Prime Minister's Office following discussions between Chinese Embassy officials and Tongan officials to explain why the eight fishing boats were to be returned to Dongguan Municipality, and also to reaffirm the friendship between Tonga and Dongguan. 

“It was a joint discussion and this statement was the result of it,” said Lopeti.

Ha'apai

The damage was found after the boats were handed over to Tonga at an official ceremony held at the Ministry of Fisheries office at Sopu in early January, where Minister for Fisheries, Hon Semisi Fakahau and Chinese Ambassador HE Wang Baodong signed Handover Certificates for the donation.

Chinese Embassy officials who subsequently inspected the boats found that the boat hulls were damaged and were a potential safety threat for users. They  recommended the boats undergo further professional examination and appraisal before distribution to Ha'apai and other places.

In late January, a team including boat experts from Dongguan Municipality arrived in Tonga to inspect the boats in consultation with the Ministry of Fisheries.

“After in-depth discussion, it was concluded that all the eight boats were manufactured strictly in line with Chinese standard but might not be fit for use in Tonga,” the PMO statement said.

The boats were designed only for fishing rather than the common practice in Tonga where such boats are used for both fishing and transportation. This is despite the Tongan Government and the Dongguan Municipality agreeing on the design drawing and parameters of the boats before they were assembled.

According to the statement, it was the Chinese officials that proposed the boats be returned to Dongguan for local use, and funds were offered to Tonga instead to build new boats. In agreement, Tonga will bear full responsibility for the quality and safety standards of the boats.

Sister city

Dongguan became a sister city with Ha’apai in 2016. It has funded several public infrastructure projects such as the tourism roads and sidewalks in the Nuku’alofa area and also donated agriculture machinery, medical equipment, school equipment and stationery, and water tanks among other items. 

The Chinese Embassy said through the Prime Minister’s statement that over the past years, China’s Dongguan Municipality government and people have been devoted to strengthening the long-run friendship and mutually beneficial cooperation between Tonga and Dongguan. And that through the whole course, the Chinese side has shown professionalism, sincerity and accountability and that the Government and people of Tonga showed strong appreciation for the generous donation of eight fishing boats

Related article: Tonga returns 8 fishing boats donated by Dongguan [2]