Yalan: China's relations with the Pacific island countries will surely go far and steady in the new voyage

Source: World Wide Web

The Foreign Ministry spokesperson has just announced that State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi will soon pay an official visit to solomon Islands, Kiribati, Samoa, Fiji, Tonga, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea and other Pacific island countries at the invitation of his invitation, conduct a "cloud visit" to the Federated States of Micronesia, hold a video conference with Cook Islands Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Brown and Niue Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Tagraj, and preside over the second China-Pacific Island Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Fiji. This visit is the first time that a Chinese foreign minister has visited eight Pacific island countries in recent years, which will further enhance political mutual trust between China and Pacific island countries, push cooperation in various fields to a new level, and inject new impetus into the comprehensive strategic partnership of mutual respect and common development between the two sides.

Although China and the South Pacific Island Countries are separated by thousands of miles, the friendly exchanges between the two sides have a long history. Hundreds of years ago, Chinese set off from the southeast coast and crossed the ocean to the Pacific islands to take root in the local area, making important contributions to the economic and social development of the island countries. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations in the 1970s, China and the Pacific island countries have known each other with sincerity and intersected with their hearts, exchanges and cooperation between the two sides have been continuously expanded, and people-to-people friendship has been passed on. In 2014 and 2018, President Xi Jinping held two collective meetings with the leaders of Pacific island countries that established diplomatic relations, elevating China's relations with Pacific island countries into a comprehensive strategic partnership of mutual respect and common development, and opening a new chapter in the history of the development of relations between China and Pacific island countries.

Mutual respect is the cornerstone of the development of relations between China and Pacific island countries. China and the Pacific island countries are both developing countries, and the relations between the two sides have become a model of friendly exchanges, solidarity and cooperation between countries of different regions, sizes and systems. China adheres to mutual respect, mutual trust and equal treatment, supports island countries in taking a development path that suits their national conditions, sincerely helps island countries develop their economies and improve people's livelihood, and firmly supports island countries to participate in international and regional affairs on an equal footing. The island countries have adhered to the correct position on issues involving China's core interests and major concerns, and spoken out for China. In October 2021, the first China-Pacific Island Foreign Ministers' Meeting was held by video. This time, State Councilor Wang Yi will preside over the second China-Pacific Island Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Fiji, which is the first time that the foreign ministers' meeting mechanism has been held in an island country. It is believed that the meeting will play an important role in promoting unity and cooperation between China and Pacific island countries and promoting the development of relations between China and Pacific island countries.

Working together is a true portrayal of the deep friendship between China and the island nation. In the face of challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic, natural disasters and climate change, China has always upheld the spirit of a community of common destiny and shared hardships with the people of the island countries. Since the outbreak of the new crown pneumonia epidemic, island countries have expressed solidarity and support for China's fight against the epidemic, and China has also done its best to help island countries fight the epidemic, setting up the "China-Pacific Island Countries Anti-epidemic Cooperation Fund" and injecting funds on many occasions to establish a reserve of emergency materials for China-Pacific island countries. China has provided nearly 600,000 doses of vaccines to island countries, and more than 100 tons of various anti-epidemic materials. Establish a China-Pacific island countries cooperation center on climate change, work with island countries to cope with the challenge of gas change, and help island countries achieve sustainable development. At the time of the riots in the Solomon Islands, China was the first to provide support for the maintenance of local stability and the cessation of violence. At the time of the sudden volcanic and tsunami disaster in Tonga, China provided emergency relief and reconstruction assistance, giving new momentum to post-disaster economic recovery.

Common development is the source of impetus for China's cooperation with Pacific island countries. In recent years, China's economic and trade exchanges with island countries have been escalating, and the cake of common interests has become bigger and bigger. China and the 10 island countries that have established diplomatic relations have signed memorandums of understanding on jointly building the "Belt and Road" cooperation, strengthened the docking of development strategies, and carried out pragmatic cooperation in the fields of policy communication, facility connectivity, unimpeded trade, financial integration, and people-to-people ties, and made positive progress. A large number of special commodities have entered the markets of both sides, and economic and technological cooperation projects such as people's livelihood, agriculture and fisheries, bridges, roads, and airports have been jointly promoted. These cooperation achievements are in line with the most urgent development needs of Pacific island countries, docking the construction of China's new development pattern, conforming to the general trend of international development, and are a win-win and win-win choice.

Mutual learning and mutual learning are a solid social foundation for China's relations with island countries. In recent years, people-to-people exchanges between China and island countries have been in full swing. A large number of young students, government officials and technicians from island countries have gone to China for further study and study. China has opened 5 Confucius Institutes or Confucius Classrooms in the island country, and has sent more than 300 Chinese teachers and volunteers to the island country. China has provided Chinese government scholarships to thousands of young people in island countries, and has trained about 10,000 talents in various fields for island countries. Before the epidemic, the average annual number of Chinese tourists to island countries exceeded 100,000. The Chinese Navy's "Peace Ark" hospital ship visited many island countries and provided humanitarian diagnosis and treatment services to more than 20,000 people on the island countries. In recent years, China has sent art troupes to Fiji, cook islands and other island countries to hold performances, exhibitions, film screenings, teaching and training activities, "Happy Spring Festival", "Tianya At this time" and "Chinese Culture Week" and other brand projects have been wonderful, enhancing mutual understanding and friendship between the two sides.

Looking at the world, the century-old changes and the century epidemic superimposed resonance, a new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation in-depth development, how to seize the opportunity, overcome the difficulties of the times, accelerate development, is the common historical task of China and the island countries, but also the common good wishes of the people of both sides. However, we also see that the Pacific Ocean is not so "peaceful". Some Western countries covet the "special geostrategic significance" of island countries, and constantly carry out activities to highlight their existence, with the intention of dragging island countries into geopolitical competition, and even regard island countries as their own "backyards", meddle in the internal affairs of island countries, and obstruct island countries from cooperating with other countries on their own initiative. In its exchanges with island countries, China has always been upright and frank, has no political self-interest, let alone any unseemly intentions, and the cooperation between the two sides has yielded tangible results, which have been generally welcomed by the people of the island countries, and the international community has also seen this very clearly.

President Xi Jinping pointed out that the vast Pacific Ocean is the link between China and the development of relations with island countries. The spirit of friendship and cooperation between China and the Pacific island countries is a precious asset cultivated by both sides in the course of history, and no matter how the international situation changes, China and the Pacific island countries will unswervingly strengthen political mutual trust, unswervingly deepen pragmatic cooperation, let the spirit of friendship and cooperation between the two sides be carried forward, and let the friendship between China and the Pacific island countries go steady and far in the new voyage. (Author: Observer for International Issues Yalan)