THE Tongan Ambassador to the People's Republic of China H.E. Mr. Siamelie Latu was invited by the Beijing Office of International Eco-Safety Cooperative Organization in association with the Ecological Center of China Foundation for International Studies as one of the speakers at the opening of the First Ecological and Elderly Health Forum held in Heming Mountain – the "Sacred City" of Taoism Origin in Chengdu, Sichuan Province Tuesday 15 to Friday 18 November 2011.

The aim of this international forum is to strengthen international integration, grasp the future trends, strive to develop an influential international high- level forum that combines the concept of ecological safety with Taoism culture, and build an open and international platform for cultural exchange.

HE Siamelie Latu –

Director General International Eco-Safety Cooperative Organisation;
Provincial and City Leaders in Sichuan Province ;
Leaders from China Foundations for International Studies ;
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen

Good Morning to you all, Da Jia Xia Wu Hao

Please allow me, on behalf of the Embassy of the Kingdom of Tonga, to extend my heartfelt greetings to all the distinguished guests participating in this very important forum. It is a privilege and great pleasure for me to be able to join you at the opening of the first Ecological Safety and Elderly Health Forum here in Heming Mountain-the Sacred city of Taoism and the Opening Ceremony of World Taoism Origin Ecological Cultural Center.

I also wish to express my sincere thanks and appreciation to the organizers (Beijing Office of International Eco-Safety Cooperative Organisation and Ecological Centre of China Foundation for International Studies) for organizing and hosting the first Ecological Safety and Elderly Health forum. It is a great honour for me to have been invited to share with you this important theme of this forum: "Ecological Safety and Elderly Health" .

Egological crisis is a common "non traditional security threat" not only in a particular country or region , but every part on this planet. The disasters caused by ecological damages are usually wide-spreading and has a long lasting effect in the world such as natural disasters, global warming, desertification, water scarcity and pollution, destruction of forest and vegetation, loss of bio-diversity as well as problems in food safety and crops security.

The Kingdom of Tonga is among the small countries in the South Pacific most vulnerable to future ecological damages. Tonga's location presents the country with a number of challenges, especially exposure to extreme natural events. As well as being prone to tropical cyclones, its location on the Pacific plate boundary means that earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis occur with relative regularity. Cyclones cause varying degrees of damage to crops and infrastructure, as well as storm surges and coastal erosion. Climate change is expected to aggravate the frequency and/or intensity of cyclones; cause more erratic rainfall raising the risk of drought; affect fisheries and coral reefs; and eventually lead to erosion and inundation of low lying coastal areas. Hence Ecological Safety is an important part of Tonga's national security strategy.

Ladies and Gentlemen, we have witnessed large amounts of chemical substances produced by burning of coal and oil are emitted into the atmosphere in the form of waste gas and dust which has exceeded the capacity of the atmospheric environment, caused frequent ecological disasters in today's world, and has posted a serious threat to human survival, resulting in a situation which is extremely serious. But it seems to me that some of these ecological disasters have become hot topics in current international society; and environmental diplomacy and ecological diplomacy have become new diplomatic subjects for countries all over the world.

I believe, Ladies and Gentlemen, it is important that we seek out common ground while reserving differences, strengthen international multilateral cooperation, maintain open information sharing; and jointly work together in order that we cope with disasters and conflicts caused by climate change and human activities. I understand that by and large, differences in cultural background and level of development between different countries in the world, could pose some difficult problems for the cooperation of various countries in the world. However, as long as every party acts on the principle of seeking common ground while reserving differences and pursuing harmonious win-win situation;

Only by joint efforts can we protect our planet. Our duties as leaders are to educate our citizen, our present and future generations to increase their moral value and to develop virtues in order to prevent moral degradation. The maintenance of ecological safety is the common responsibility of every country, every social class, all walks of life, and every citizen of the globe.

It is my utmost and sincere hope that more people will emerge from the international community to have an enthusiastic commitment to the cause of ecological safety. I certainly believe that this first Ecological Safety and Elderly Forum will help create a broad and effective platform in order to attract more national governments, parties and parliaments; international organizations, nongovernmental organizations, financial institutions and enterprise groups to play a positive role in promoting global ecological conservation addressing climate change, maintaining eco-safety; protecting eco-environment and realizing Beijing Office of International Eco-Safety Cooperative Organisation in this important endeavor.

When we treat the nature nicely the nature will treat us kindly in return. Let each and every one of us cherish our planet, Our Home. Xiexie

HE Siamelie Latu

siamelie [at] yahoo [dot] com ( siamelie [at] yahoo [dot] com)