"China Sincerely Helps Pacific Island Countries Improve Their Independent Development Capability" Development | China | Ability
"China's development not only benefits its own people, but also has a positive impact on the world." Former Tonga Ambassador to China and Secretary General of the Tonga China Friendship Association, Siamellier Latu, stated in a recent interview with our reporter in Nukualofa, the capital of Tonga, that reform and opening up have enabled China to embark on a path of rapid development, and China's successful experience is worth learning from and drawing on by other countries.
Latu made his first visit to China in 2000 and served as Tonga's Ambassador to China from 2010 to 2015. He has traveled to many parts of China and has a comprehensive and in-depth observation of China's development. "Over the past 40 years, China has risen from a backward agricultural country to the world's second largest economy, creating a miracle in human development history," said Latu.
"The development and changes in China are described in one word as' constantly changing '." Latu believes that among China's many development achievements, the most remarkable one is winning the battle against poverty. Since the reform and opening up, according to the World Bank's international poverty standards, China's poverty reduction population accounts for more than 70% of the global poverty reduction population during the same period. By the end of 2020, all rural impoverished population in China under current standards will be lifted out of poverty, and regional overall poverty will be solved. China has contributed to the world's poverty reduction efforts and become the first developing country to achieve the poverty reduction goals of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
"The secret of China's great development achievements is undoubtedly multifaceted, but the most fundamental is the strong leadership of the CPC. Without the leadership of the CPC, there can be no great practice of reform and opening up, and there can be no Chinese path to modernization road." Latu believes that the CPC has a broad vision and perseverance, combining the five-year plan with the long-term grand blueprint, maintaining the consistency and stability of policies, and implementing many major projects related to the national economy and the people's livelihood. "We greatly admire China's development achievements and look forward to learning from China's development experience."
At the beginning of 2022, Tonga volcano erupted and caused serious disasters such as tsunamis. China, which is thousands of miles away, extended a helping hand in various ways, making it the country with the fastest aid speed and the largest number of aid batches.
Latu told reporters, "China has truly achieved equality, mutual assistance, and focused on development in its dealings with Pacific island countries." For many years, China has dispatched agricultural experts, built demonstration farms, trained demonstration farmers, promoted crop varieties, and provided technical support to Pacific island countries. "China sincerely helps Pacific island countries improve their ability for independent development, promote economic and people's livelihood development, and demonstrates the great power's responsibility to embrace the world."