The Ambassador of China to Samoa, Chao Xiaoliang says the growing friendship of Samoa and China is on display as the two countries celebrate 46 years of diplomatic relations.

Ambassador Xiaoliang told the Samoa Observer that although China and Samoa are parted by oceans and thousands of miles, the traditional friendship between the two countries is profound and has deep roots. 

"The interactions between our peoples dated back to the first group of Chinese who arrived in Samoa as early as over 150 years ago,” the Ambassador said on Friday via email.

 “As good friends and partners in the past 46 years, our bilateral relationship has become a role model for friendly relations between countries of different sizes, social systems and cultural backgrounds.

"In 2002, I made my first visit to Samoa, and was deeply impressed by the warmth and hospitality of Samoan people. Now 19 years have passed, I am honored to serve as the 15th Chinese Ambassador to Samoa, and heartened by the remarkable outcomes in bilateral relations yielded over the past 46 years."

He said that the past 46 years has witnessed the deepening mutual trust, cooperation and strengthened people-to-people bonds between Samoa and China. 

"China and Samoa are sharing wealth and woe and become good partners for mutual benefit. As one of the first Pacific Island countries to join the Belt and Road Initiative, Samoa has [made] great progress in bilateral trade volume with an increase of almost 70 times in 20 years,” the Ambassador said. 

“China has been holding events like [the] China International Import Expo, China Import and Export Fair (Canton Fair) to share its open market with the world. I’m glad to see more and more Samoan products like Noni Juice are becoming popular in the Chinese market through such events.

"Focusing on promoting economic growth and people's welfare locally, China has been conducting large scales of Agricultural Technical Aid Project. By now nine agricultural stations [have] been established and more than 10,000 local farmers [have] gained benefits from the project. China has helped to build more than 20 infrastructure projects in Samoa, including FMFMII Government Building, Parliament Building, Aquatic Centre, Tuanaimato Sports Complex, Apia Park, Faleolo International Airport, Tupua Tamasese Meaole Hospital and Maritime Academy."

The Ambassador said that to promote people-to-people exchange, China and Samoa cooperate closely in the fields of health, education and human resource training. 

"Since the 1980s, we have continuously dispatched more than 130 medical personnel in 19 batches to voluntarily serve in Samoa, providing medical service to local people. In 2021, eight forensic pathologists experts were sent for short services," he said.

"Funded by the Chinese government, more than 5,000 Samoan people went to China to pursue diploma and degree studies or attend various seminars and technical training courses. Over 1,000 local people studied Chinese language and culture at the Confucius Institute of the National University of Samoa."

Ever since the outbreak of the pandemic, the Ambassador said the two countries have worked together and gained fruitful results in information sharing, experience exchange, and cooperation on financial and medical supplies. 

"Medical supplies [worth] $1.53 million were provided to Samoa to fund its response to coronavirus. In the meantime, the pandemic couldn’t stop our pace to advance the resumption work of projects like Cultural and Art Center, Friendship Park, Police Academy and three primary schools, so as to bring Samoan people more benefits as soon as possible," he said.

"China’s willingness and efforts to promote deeper friendship and wider cooperation with Samoa will never change. As both developing countries,China is always willing to provide assistance that meet the real need of Samoan people and promote social and economic development of Samoa based on the principle of mutual respect and equal consultation.

"On the occasion of celebrating the 46th year of China-Samoa friendship, I have further the honor to announce that the Chinese Embassy, together with the Ministry of Health of Samoa, will soon launch a program of sending the Chinese medical experts to Savaii island to deliver free medical service to local people.  We are also about to finish the project of Friendship park and will hold the hand-over ceremony accordingly."