China willing to further deepen relations with Pacific island countries: ambassador

SUVA, Nov. 21 (Xinhua) -- China is willing to continue to enhance mutual trust and cooperation with Pacific island countries, and to remain committed to regional peace and prosperity, said Chinese Ambassador to Fiji Zhou Jian.

At a press briefing held in Fiji's capital Suva on Tuesday, Zhou told local media that the leaders of China and Fiji met on the sidelines of the 30th APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in San Francisco last week, who reached important consensus on deepening the bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership and maintaining regional peace and prosperity.

According to the ambassador, over the past 40 years, China has been devoted to pragmatic cooperation in the Pacific region, including building roads and bridges, addressing people's urgent need, and contributing to regional stability.

"China has implemented more than 100 aid projects, provided more than 200 batches of aid materials, trained about 10,000 talents in various fields, and sent medical teams of 600 personnel to the Pacific countries, benefiting 260,000 people," Zhou told media.

The ambassador emphasized that China and Pacific island countries are both developing countries with broad consensus, similar concerns, and common missions. China's policy toward the region has always been open and inclusive.

"We welcome the international community to increase its attention and investment in Pacific island countries, and we are ready to work with the willing developed countries to carry out trilateral or multilateral cooperation in Pacific island countries for win-win and all-win results," Zhou said.