Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Wednesday met with President and Foreign Minister Taneti Maamau of Kiribati on the sideline of the Third China-Pacific Island Countries Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Xiamen City, east China’s Fujian Province, to discuss relations between their two countries.
Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, first conveyed Chinese President Xi Jinping's sincere greetings and best wishes to Maamau.
He said that over the past more than five years since the resumption of diplomatic relations between the two countries, China-Kiribati relations have developed rapidly, with deepening political mutual trust and fruitful exchanges and cooperation across various sectors.
Facts have proven that the decision made by President Maamau and the people of Kiribati to resume diplomatic relations with China stands on the right side of history and serves the fundamental and long-term interests of the two peoples, Wang said.
China has always attached importance to its relations with Kiribati, highly appreciates Kiribati's firm adherence to the one-China principle, he said, adding that China is willing to work with Kiribati to continue advancing bilateral relations and to further enhance the well-being of the Kiribati people.
Wang recalled that since the resumption of diplomatic ties, China and Kiribati have conducted flourishing exchanges and cooperation in areas such as education, healthcare, police affairs, culture and sports, youth affairs and sub-regional affairs, with the Chinese Embassy being the first among foreign diplomatic missions in Kiribati to launch visa services and with Chinese medical teams effectively filling gaps in local medical services in Kiribati.
China will continue to encourage more competitive and reputable Chinese enterprises to invest and expand business in Kiribati, he said, adding that the two sides can strengthen cooperation on the protection, development and utilization of marine resources within the "blue partnership" cooperation framework.
China fully understands the special challenges and legitimate concerns of Pacific Island countries in addressing climate change and is willing to work with other developing countries, including Kiribati, in the spirit of solidarity and cooperation, to urge developed countries to face up to their historical responsibilities, deliver on their commitments at an early date and step up financial, technological and capacity-building support for developing countries, Wang said.
China will continue to assist Kiribati in enhancing its ability to address climate change within the framework of South-South cooperation, he said.
For his part, Maamau asked Wang to convey his cordial greetings to Chinese President Xi Jinping and the Chinese people, expressing his gratitude to China for its strong support for Kiribati's economic and social development.
Hailing the resumption of diplomatic relations between Kiribati and China as a historic moment, Maamau said that over the past more than five years, Kiribati has firmly upheld the one-China principle and has seen fruitful bilateral cooperation with China, which has significantly improved the well-being of the Kiribati people.
Kiribati looks forward to further strengthening cooperation with China in areas such as people-to-people exchanges, healthcare, infrastructure, sister-city relationships, marine economy and climate exchange, in order to advance the Kiribati 20-year Vision and better benefit the people of both countries, he said.
Maamau said that Kiribati actively supports China's initiative to establish an international organization for mediation in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, which demonstrates China's leadership role.
The friendly relations between Kiribati and China are a vivid embodiment of the spirit of tiding over difficulties together and will undoubtedly sail toward a brighter future, he said.
Both sides look forward to the successful convening of the Third China-Pacific Island Countries Foreign Ministers' Meeting.
Wang said that today's volatile and unstable world has brought serve challenges to the Global South countries, especially to small and medium-sized countries, while the Third China-Pacific Island Countries Foreign Ministers' Meeting takes place at just the right time, which serves as an important opportunity for China and the Pacific Island countries to jointly address risks and challenges and to clarify the focus in the next stage of cooperation.
A joint statement will be issued at the meeting, and China will also roll out a list of measures to implement the consensus reached, he said.
Maamau expressed Kiribati's commitment to playing an active role in continuing to promote strong relations and fruitful cooperation between Pacific Island countries and China.
Chinese foreign minister meets president and foreign minister of Kiribati on relations
Chinese foreign minister meets president and foreign minister of Kiribati on relations
