FM's visit aims to bolster Asia-Pacific ties

Wang kicks off trip to island nations with a focus on development, cooperation

State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi will kick off his 10-day visit to South Pacific island countries and Timor-Leste on Thursday, aiming to boost relations with island nations of the area and contribute to peace, stability and development in the Asia-Pacific region.

The visit will bring him to eight countries. They are the Solomon Islands, Kiribati, Samoa, Fiji, Tonga, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea and Timor-Leste.

The Chinese foreign minister will also pay a "virtual visit" to the Federated States of Micronesia and hold separate talks via video link with his counterparts in the Cook Islands and Niue.

During the visit, Wang will also chair the second China-Pacific Island Countries Foreign Ministers' meeting, which will be in Fiji. It will be the first time that the meeting is held in the island nation. The first meeting was held in China in October in a virtual format.

Ruan Zongze, executive vice-president of the China Institute of International Studies, said China and Pacific island countries have growing shared interests in pragmatic cooperation and responding to common challenges, contributing to the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two sides.

Since the start of COVID-19, China has provided Pacific island countries with nearly 600,000 doses of vaccines and more than 100 tons of anti-epidemic supplies. China was the first country in the world to provide assistance to Tonga after the volcanic eruption there and it also supports the Solomon Islands in maintaining stability and stopping violence.

"Unlike certain countries such as the United States and Australia that condescendingly point figures at South Pacific island countries, China respect these countries' sovereignty and treats them as equals and with mutual respect and trust, which is why the latter consider China as a reliable friend," Ruan said while touching on the framework agreement on security cooperation between China and the Solomon Islands.

Guo Yanjun, director of the Institute of Asian Studies of China Foreign Affairs University, said Wang's activities cover all 10 countries that have established diplomatic relations with China, showing a sound momentum in relations between China and Pacific island countries.

"China has taken concerns, such as climate change, of island countries seriously and offered economic and technical assistance in light of the needs of Pacific island countries and with no political strings attached," Guo said.

For these countries, China has implemented more than 100 aid projects, delivered more than 200 batches of in-kind assistance, and trained about 10,000 people in various fields, according to a fact sheet on cooperation between China and these countries released on Tuesday.

The climate change cooperation center between China and the Pacific island countries was launched in April to help them strengthen their capacity to tackle climate change.

Noting that both sides enjoy a deep foundation and vast potential for cooperation, Guo said attempts and acts to smear or disrupt ties between them are doomed to fail.

All the 10 island countries have signed Belt and Road cooperation documents with Beijing and expressed readiness to join China's Global Development Initiative to ensure the alignment of development strategies.

News of the visit came just when the leaders of the US, Japan, Australia and India leaders held a "Quad" summit in Tokyo, with the aim of countering the so-called growing economic and military clout of China in the region.

Wang Youming, director of the Institute of Developing Countries at the CIIS, said unlike the "Quad "that pursues a Cold War mentality and bloc confrontation, the meeting between China and the Pacific island countries will send a message of unity and cooperation.

China and these countries will jointly safeguard the common interests of developing countries and build a closer China-Pacific Island Countries community with a shared future, he said.

The Solomon Islands is the first leg of Wang's visit. Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare on Monday welcomed the high-level visit and said it would be a milestone in the relationship between the two countries.