Premier Li says China willing to deepen political mutual trust with Cook Islands

China is willing to deepen political mutual trust and expand practical cooperation with the Cook Islands, said Chinese Premier Li Qiang during his meeting with Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown on Friday afternoon.

Brown is in Harbin City, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, to attend the closing ceremony of the 9th Asian Winter Games.

Li said that since the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and the Cook Islands 28 years ago, both countries have always treated each other with sincerity, friendship and equality, continuously promoted mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields and moved forward hand in hand on the road of common development.

China upholds the equality of all countries, big or small, firmly supports the people of the Cook Islands in independently choosing a development path suited to their own national conditions, and stands ready to deepen political mutual trust and expand practical cooperation with the Cook Islands to achieve more tangible results and bring more benefits to both peoples, the Chinese premier said.

Li said China is willing to strengthen the synergy between the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative and the development strategies of the Cook Islands and push forward the mutually beneficial cooperation in the marine sector, infrastructure construction, agriculture and fishery.

China is willing to import more quality products from the Cook Islands and encourage more Chinese people to visit the Cook Islands, Li added.

Li further said that both countries should strengthen exchanges and cooperation in education, culture, health, youth and other cultural fields and increase friendly people-to-people exchanges.

Li also said China is willing to deepen cooperation with the Cook Islands in multilateral areas, jointly uphold the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, build a fair, reasonable and win-win global climate governance system, and jointly address the challenge of climate change.

Brown also spoke highly of the nearly 30 years of friendly cooperative relations between both countries, saying that the Cook Islands always regards China as an important partner and good friend.

During the meeting, Brown thanked China for its strong, long-term support and assistance to the economic and social development of the Cook Islands and other Pacific island countries.

Attaching great importance to relations with China, Brown said the Cook Islands will continue to abide by the one-China principle and is willing to deepen mutually beneficial cooperation with China in agriculture, fishery, infrastructure, people's livelihoods, ocean and tourism, strengthen multilateral coordination in climate change and other areas, and push for sustained and in-depth development of the bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership.

(Cover: National flags of China and the Cook Islands. /VCG)