Tarawa, 27 May 2022 (TDI): State Councilor and Foreign Minister of China Wang Yi visited Kiribati on Friday 27 May. Vice President of Kiribati, Teuea Toatu welcomed China’s Foreign Minister’s delegation in Tarawa.

Vice President Toatu welcomed the Chinese delegation’s visit to help Kiribati cope with the pandemic’s effects. He stated that Kiribati has benefited greatly from China’s invaluable support and unselfish assistance, which Kiribati would always remember.

Vice President said Kiribati values its relations with China. It will continue to adhere to the one-China policy. Kiribati views China as a true development partner.

Kiribati looks forward to expanding collaboration in areas such as development planning, infrastructure, health and pandemic response, climate change, maritime affairs, and other areas, said Vice President Teuea Toatu.

The Vice President has also made a significant contribution to the restart of diplomatic relations between China and Kiribati. According to Wang Yi, China anticipates Kiribati’s friendly attitude toward China and commitment to the one-China policy.

Wang Yi said China has always been a good and reliable friend of developing nations, particularly small and medium-sized countries. Along with this, China will keep going to help developing countries speed growth, improve people’s livelihoods, and achieve rejuvenation, whether now or in the future.

Kiribati-China Pledge to deepen cooperation 

Wang Yi said that China and Kiribati always treat each other as equals and respect each other. The cooperation between the two countries belongs to South-South cooperation. In addition to this, it is the cooperation among developing countries and the cooperation to safeguard common interests.

Furthermore, Wang Yi remarked that China supports Kiribati in promoting the Kiribati 20-year Vision (KV20) development blueprint. China stands ready to strengthen the synergy between development strategies.

In addition, China pledges to continue to provide assistance within its capacity according to the needs of Kiribati. China supports and stands ready to help Kiribati protect and make good use of marine resources to achieve beneficial development, living and prospering side by side.

Strengthening cooperation in tackling Climate Change

China clearly understands the Pacific Island Countries’ specific worries about climate change, according to Wang Yi, and will continue to push the Paris Agreement’s broad and effective implementation.

Moreover, China is willing to use the signing of the memorandum of understanding on the implementation of the South-South cooperation materials assistance project to combat climate change as an opportunity to continue to support and assist Kiribati in building its capacity to deal with climate change.

Following the discussion, the two parties attended a joint signing ceremony for cooperation documents on economics and technology, climate change response, and other topics.