President Xi meets PM Manele of Solomon Islands

Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele of the Solomon Islands in Beijing on Friday.

China is willing to strengthen strategic communication with the Solomon Islands, support the safeguarding of core interests and address major concerns, promote the alignment of the Belt and Road Initiative with the Solomon Islands' development strategy, and deepen cooperation in areas such as rural development, medical services, infrastructure, sustainable development and climate change, Xi said.

China consistently adheres to an independent foreign policy of peace and advocates for the equality of all countries, regardless of their size, strength or wealth, Xi added.

He said China's friendly cooperation with the Solomon Islands and other Pacific nations is a sincere effort to help these countries achieve development within the framework of South-South cooperation

China is willing to continue providing the Solomon Islands with as much assistance as possible to achieve development, and to strengthen coordination and cooperation in multilateral institutions such as the United Nations and the Pacific Islands Forum, in order to safeguard the common interests of developing countries, the Chinese president added.

Manele praised China's efforts to pursue multilateralism. He said the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, and the Global Civilization Initiative proposed by Xi are conducive to promoting world peace, stability and common development, which is especially significant for small countries like the Solomon Islands.

Thanks to participation in the Belt and Road Initiative, the Solomon Islands has made significant progress in areas such as infrastructure construction, Manele said.

The Solomon Islands firmly adheres to the one-China principle, resolutely opposes any form of "Taiwan independence," and firmly supports all efforts by the Chinese government to achieve national reunification, he said, adding that the Solomon Islands hopes to further deepen the comprehensive strategic partnership with China and build a community with a shared future between the two countries.