On New Year’s Eve, Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered his 2025 New Year message, extending best wishes to people around the world, comprehensively summarizing the fruitful results achieved in advancing Chinese modernisation in 2024, and demonstrating China’s determination and confidence in promoting global governance reform and deepening solidarity and cooperation among the Global South.

China and Samoa are both natural members of the Global South. In November 2024, Honorable Prime Minister of the Independent State of Samoa Fiame Naomi Mata’afa paid an official visit to China, during which meetings with President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang were successfully held and visits to Jiangsu Province, Guangdong Province and Beijing are fruitful. The leaders of China and Samoa highly valued bilateral relations, which have been developing in a sound and steady manner, and agreed to push forward the steady and long-term development of the China-Samoa comprehensive strategic partnership.

The year 2025 marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Samoa. Samoa was among the first Pacific Island countries to establish diplomatic relations with China. Upholding the principle of mutual respect, equal treatment and win-win cooperation, China and Samoa have maintained a traditional friendship, close economic and trade exchanges and fruitful cooperation in various fields, which have delivered tangible benefits to the peoples of the two nations.

Visits and exchanges of national leaders establish a solid foundation of bilateral relations. The important consensus reached by the leaders of China and Samoa leads directions and injects power to the development of our relationship. China firmly supports Samoa in safeguarding its sovereignty and independence, and independently exploring a development path suited to its national conditions. Samoa firmly abides by the one-China principle. Exchanges of experience in governance and development strengthen mutual respect and trust.

Deeds accord with words. Fruitful results in win-win cooperation demonstrate the firm commitment of the two countries to enhancing mutually beneficial cooperation. It is witnessed by the past 50 years that, China has provided aid in building more than 20 infrastructure projects in Samoa.

By now, China has conducted 6 phases of the Samoa-China Agricultural Technical Aid Project, which has trained more than 10,000 farmers (people times). More than 100 medical experts have been dispatched to Samoa for 23 phases of medical assistance, bringing benefits to more than 70,000 patients (people times). The total number of Samoan people who have been trained or educated in China has exceeded 3,000.

In a world of both transformation and turbulence, working together to cope with new challenges of the time enriches the connotation of the China-Samoa relationship. China acknowledges the efforts by Samoa as the Chair of the Alliance of Small Island States and is ready to provide assistance to Pacific Island countries to enhance their capacity to cope with climate change.

It has been more than one year since I assumed office in Samoa. Looking back on the past year, I’ve met with His Highness Head of State, Her Honorable Prime Minister, His Honorable Speaker, Honorable Cabinet Ministers, government officials and friends from all walks of life. We reached a resounding agreement on pushing forward our bilateral relationship to a new height. I’ve also been invited to visit some districts and villages in Upolu, Savaii and Manono. When stepping deep into the fields, I learned more about the beautiful Samoan culture and the aspirations of ordinary Samoan people for development.

From the above, and most importantly from the official visit by Honorable Prime Minister Fiame to China, even more confidence and momentum have been injected into the development of bilateral relationships in the next 50 years. China will always develop its relations with Pacific Island countries under the principles of four respects, namely: respect for sovereignty and independence; respect for the will of the countries; respect for the ethnic and cultural traditions and respect for the countries' commitment to seek strength through unity. We are ready to work with Samoan friends on implementing the important consensus reached by the leaders of China and Samoa, promoting the implementation of the outcomes, and tightening heart-to-heart ties between the two peoples.

On January 29, 2025, the first day of the first month by the Chinese lunar calendar, the year of the Snake, Chinese people around the world will celebrate the Spring Festival with family reunions. The Spring Festival used to be only for Chinese people, but it is now for the whole world. In 2024, Spring Festival, the social practices of the Chinese people in celebration of the traditional new year, was officially inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, which will help promote universal values of peace and harmony and foster global cultural exchange.

 On this festival occasion, I would like to relay my best wishes to Samoan friends: Happy Spring Festival (Chunjie Kuaile) and prosperity of the community with a shared future for China and Samoa!

Fei Mingxing is the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People’s Republic of China to the Independent State of Samoa.