China to Enhance Cooperation With Pacific Island Countries

On Monday, Visiting Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that China is willing to build new platforms for cooperation with Pacific island countries in such fields as tackling climate change, poverty alleviation, development, disaster prevention and mitigation.

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China is also willing to make consistent efforts to build the China-Pacific Island Countries Reserve of Emergency Supplies, Wang said after a meeting with Fijian Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama.

Since the establishment of diplomatic ties, China and the Pacific island countries have seen cooperation expand constantly, covering over 20 fields including trade and investment, marine environment, disaster prevention and mitigation, poverty reduction and health care.

In addition, China has become an important trading partner and source of investment to the Pacific island countries, Wang said, citing a 13-percent annual growth from 1992 to 2021 in China's trade volume with the island countries.

The investments by Chinese enterprises in the Pacific island countries have surpassed US$20 billion, and China has helped build infrastructure facilities such as roads, bridges, docks, hospitals, schools and stadiums, Wang said.

In fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, China has provided multiple batches of vaccine doses and varied anti-epidemic supplies to them, he added.

Nearly 100,000 Chinese tourists visited the countries per year before the pandemic. The cooperation in various fields between China and Pacific island countries has brought tangible benefits to their peoples, the Chinese ambassador noted.