On November 21, Zhou Zuyi, Secretary of the CPC Fujian Provincial Committee and Chairman of the Standing Committee of Fujian Provincial People’s Congress, met in Fuzhou with King Tupou VI of Tonga.

On behalf of the CPC Fujian Provincial Committee and the Provincial Government, Zhou Zuyi welcomed King Tupou VI and his delegation to Fujian and gave a brief overview of Fujian’s latest development.

Zhou noted that President Xi Jinping attaches great importance to strengthening exchanges with Pacific Island countries. China and Tonga are good friends, good partners, and good brothers with mutual trust. Zhou highlighted the close exchanges and fruitful cooperation between Fujian and Tonga in recent years. He said, Fujian is fully implementing the guiding principles of the fourth plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee and the strategic plans of the ninth plenary session of the 11th CPC Fujian Provincial Committee. Acting on the blueprint for building a new Fujian envisioned by President Xi Jinping, the province is committed to advancing high-quality development on all fronts and playing a pioneering role in China’s modernization drive. Fujian stands ready to work with Tonga to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state. Through the Belt and Road Initiative and the bond of shared Austronesian history and culture, Fujian aims to expand practical cooperation in areas such as economy, trade, poverty alleviation, and people-to-people exchanges, contributing more to the growth of China-Tonga relations.

King Tupou VI expressed his appreciation for China’s invaluable support for Tonga’s economic and social development. He noted that Tonga highly values its relationship with China and firmly upholds the one-China principle. Through this visit, he hoped to gain deeper insights into the important visions and major practices spearheaded by President Xi Jinping during his tenure in Fujian. He expressed the hope to strengthen exchanges and cooperation with Fujian in areas such as agriculture, marine fisheries, and education, in a bid to deepen people-to-people friendship and enrich people’s lives.

Tonga’s Minister for Health ‘Ana Finau ‘Akau’ola, Tongan Ambassador to China Tau’aika ‘Uta’atu, Chinese Ambassador to Tonga Liu Weimin, Special Envoy for Pacific Island Countries Affairs of the Chinese Government Qian Bo, and provincial leaders Wu Xielin and Wang Jinfu attended the meeting.