On February 26, Shen Xin, Vice President of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC), hosted a reception for diplomatic envoys of Pacific Island Countries (PICs) to China to discuss friendly people-to-people exchanges and cooperation between China and PICs. Ambassadors and diplomats from six countries—Tonga, the Federated States of Micronesia, Samoa, Fiji, the Solomon Islands, and Nauru—as well as the Trade Commissioner of the Pacific Trade Invest China attended the event upon invitation. Wang Yanxia, Vice President of the Beijing People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, and Sun Tao, Director-General of the CPAFFC Department of American and Oceanian Affairs, were also present at the event.

Shen Xin stated that over the past year, the friendly and cooperative relationship between China and PICs has made encouraging progress. The two sides have witnessed close high-level interactions and fruitful practical cooperation. Continued efforts have been made to advance the building of a China-PICs community with a shared future to deliver more benefits to the peoples of both sides. The CPAFFC is willing to join hands with all parties to build bridges for enhancing mutual understanding and friendship among the peoples of China and PICs and intensifying cooperation on all fronts and play an active role in building the China-PICs community with a shared future.

On behalf of all the ambassadors of PICs to China, Tau'aika 'Uta'atu, Dean of the PICs' Diplomatic Corps in China and Ambassador of Tonga to China, expressed his gratitude to the CPAFFC for its extensive efforts over the years in enhancing friendship among the peoples of China and PICs. He also voiced his hope that the two sides would deepen cooperation in the Year of the Snake, jointly striving for the prosperity and development of China and PICs.

Before the dinner began, the attending diplomatic envoys participated in a hands-on activity of assembling palace lanterns, experiencing firsthand the cultural charm of the Spring Festival after its inclusion in UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list.