Chinese Ambassador to Tonga Liu Weimin Calls on Lord Vaea, New Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Tonga

On March 4, Ambassador Liu Weimin paid a courtesy call on Lord Vaea, the newly-elected Speaker of Tonga. The two sides exchanged views on deepening cooperation between the legislative bodies of the two countries and other issues.

Ambassador Liu congratulated Lord Vaea on his election. He stated that China highly values the China-Tonga comprehensive strategic partnership. China stands ready to work with the new Parliament to follow up on the outcomes of King Tupou VI's visit to China, strengthen exchanges and mutual learning between the Tongan Parliament and the National People's Congress of China and relevant departments, and elevate China-Tonga relations to a new level. Ambassador Liu also elaborated on the one-China principle.

Lord Vaea thanked China for its long-standing valuable support for Tonga's economic and social development, expressing willingness to actively facilitate visits by Tongan parliamentarians to China, allowing them to witness first-hand China's development achievements and social conditions, and further enhance friendly exchanges between the legislative bodies of the two countries. Lord Vaea stressed that since the establishment of diplomatic relations between Tonga and China in 1998, Tonga has firmly adhered to the one-China principle. The new Parliament of Tonga will continue to abide by the one-China principle and support China in safeguarding its core national interests.