Foreign Minister Wang Yi will chair the meeting in Xiamen scheduled for 28-29 May. Photo: AP / Mark Schiefelbein, file photo
Pacific Islands foreign ministers will be gathering in Fujian province for the third China-Pacific Island Countries Foreign Ministers' Meeting this week.
In a statement, the Chinese Foreign Affairs Ministry said Foreign Minister Wang Yi will chair the meeting in Xiamen scheduled for 28-29 May.
It said "it will be the first of its kind to be held offline in China".
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told reporters at a daily news briefing last Wednesday that foreign ministers or representatives from 11 island countries that have diplomatic relations with China, and the Pacific Islands Forum deputy secretary general Esala Nayasi would attend the meeting.
Mao said that the participants would have in-depth exchanges of views on all-round cooperation between China and Pacific Island countries, as well as on international and regional issues of mutual interest.
China was ready to leverage the upcoming meeting to implement the important consensuses reached by leaders of both sides, strengthen solidarity and coordination, pursue common development and prosperity, she said.
She said the objective of the meeting was to jointly build an even closer China-Pacific Island countries community with a shared future.
Mao said China highly valued its ties with the Pacific Island countries, and friendly cooperation between the two sides had continued to deepen and expand in recent years.
According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, those attending include:
- Kiribati Pesident and Foreign Minister Taneti Maamau
- Niue Prime Minister Premier and Foreign Minister Dalton Tagelagi
- Tonga' Crown Prince and Minister for Foreign Affairs Tupouto'a 'Ulukalala
- Nauru's Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Lionel Rouwen Aingimea
- Federated States of Micronesia's Secretary of Foreign Affairs Lorin Robert
- Solomon Islands Minister for Foreign Affairs and External Trade Peter Shanel Agovaka
- Vanuatu's Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and External Trade Marc Ati
- Papua New Guinea's Minister for Foreign Affairs Justin Tkatchenko
- Cook Islands Minister for Foreign Affairs and Immigration Tingika Elikana
- Fiji's Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs and Deputy Speaker of the Parliament Lenora Qereqeretabua
- Samoa's Ambassador to China Luamanuvae Mariner,
- Pacific Islands Forum deputy secretary general Esala Nayasi
