- 60TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FOUNDING OF THE CHINESE PEOPLE’S ASSOCIATION FOR FRIENDSHIP WITH FOREIGN COUNTRIES

Your Excellency, President Xi Jinping,
Honorable Members from the People’s Republic of China,
Madame Li Xiaolin
And the Members of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, 
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is indeed an honor for the Pacific delegation and I, to be invited and to participate in celebrating the 60th Anniversary of the founding of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries. I have been given the privilege of representing the Pacific island nations as a guest of the Association, and to address you here today.

This wonderful tradition of people to people’s relationship, fostering peace, harmony, goodwill and equality, together with enhancing friendship, is the foundation and the core of this Association.  The vision of the forefathers and Leaders of this country, in creating and supporting this principle, has brought all of us here today regardless of how big or small your country maybe, in itself, it promotes harmony and peaceful coexistence.

Today, there is some tension in certain parts of the Pacific Ocean and I would like to draw your attention to this, so that you and I together, can support a peaceful solution to eliminate these tensions. In the past, there have been many unfortunate events in the Pacific Ocean but today, we hope that the Chinese Friendship Association’s philosophy, belief and acting on this belief, will be the solution that will help us to support a peaceful and friendly process in reducing these tensions and solving the conflicts, because friendship has no boundaries.  Ferdinand Magellan named the biggest Ocean in the world – Pacific, meaning Peaceful because of the calm waters, and Captain James Cook named the Kingdom of Tonga the Friendly Islands because he found the people to be friendly.  My experience with my relationship with the people of China has been both peaceful and friendly.

The People’s Republic of China, has initiated and maintained a mutual friendship, mutual cooperation, mutual trust and equality to all Sovereign Nations and has provided support in so many areas including culture, industry, education, health, information and technology to the Pacific Region.  Credit must be given to the Leadership of Madame Li Xiaolin and the Association for the role it has played in developing the relationship between countries in the Region and the People’s Republic of China. For that, I extend my most sincere gratitude and heartfelt thanks to Madame Li Xiaolin and the Association.

The long term support and dedication given by China to the Region has grown from strength to strength to which we are all grateful for, it has been done based on people to people’s relationship, mutual respect for each other and this has been my experience with my friends in China.

I anticipate that the Conference will be successful over the next few days and I truly believe that this will be an event that will continue for years to come and we look forward and will be honored to participate as a family member of the Association.

May the spirit of friendship and peace be amongst all now and forever.