Giulio Masasso Paunga, vice chancellor of Tonga National University, said that deeper cultural understanding and academic collaboration with Chinese universities can reshape mindsets and create new opportunities for Pacific Island nations.
Speaking at a special roundtable held by China Global Television Network (CGTN) in Guangzhou City of south China's Guangdong Province, Paunga emphasized that such partnership have the potential to transform perspectives and even change the world.
"It's always important to have a mutual understanding among cultures, and that mutual understanding is going to be in various ways. Some ways, like what we are doing right now, you also mentioned about [the importance of] tourism, of going to a certain place and learning from there. And this collaboration with our Chinese universities, we can start afresh. It's a new kind of thought, it's a new kind of changing in mindset," said Paunga.
He further expressed the conviction that this new perspective have a far-reaching impact beyond their universities.
"Despite the smallness of our new university, and those in Samoa, Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands, it may seem small, but I think it's a 'mind-changer', or a game-changer for the future of the Pacific, and maybe for the world," he added.
In recent years, the bilateral cooperation between China and Tonga has expanded in poverty reduction, climate action, agriculture and fisheries, health, and China's Juncao technology, a Chinese method that uses fast-growing grass instead of wood to grow edible and medicinal mushrooms.
Collaboration with China serves as game-changer: Tongan educator
Collaboration with China serves as game-changer: Tongan educator
China has delivered tangible results since its accession to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) Agreement on Port State Measures (PSMA) one year ago, said scholars and industry insiders at an event marking the 10th anniversary of the PSMA's entry into force in Shanghai on Friday.
The agreement, which took effect in China in April last year, is the first binding international agreement to specifically target illegal fishing, by preventing vessels engaged in such fishing from using ports to land their catches.
At the anniversary event, attendees highlighted China's progress in implementing the treaty. "The first batch of 23 designated ports open to foreign-flagged fishing vessels has been identified, spanning eight provincial coastal areas including Tianjin," said Xia Liang, a professor from Shanghai Ocean University, when delivering a speech at the event.
In addition to the concrete measures, China has actively fulfilled its obligations under the agreement over the past year.
"By joining the PSMA and taking action, China has shown its responsibility and commitment as a responsible fishing nation. In fact, even before joining, China's distant-water fleet had already been following the conservation rules set by regional fisheries organizations," said Zhao Gang, executive vice president of the China Overseas Fisheries Association.
China's fishing industry has long embraced responsible and sustainable practices, while academic institutions are also contributing to these efforts, with Shanghai Ocean University now serving as the national contact point for the PSMA.
"By linking research teams, industry bodies, international organizations, and practitioners, we can move academic research from 'on the page' to 'in action,'" said the Shanghai Ocean University President Hu Wei.
The Chinese government deposited its instrument of accession to the PSMA to the FAO on March 17 last year, one month before its accession.
China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said previously that the accession represents China's action to practice true multilateralism, and demonstrates the concrete effort of China to advance global ocean governance and uphold international maritime order.
China delivers tangible results since accession to PSMA: experts
