Tonga supports China’s stance on Taiwan, Tibet

SANYA—Tongan King Taufa’ahau Tupou V said here on Thursday his country adhered to the one-China policy and supported the measures adopted to handle the incident in Lhasa.
King Tupou, who was here for a state visit as guest of Chinese President Hu Jintao, made the remarks during official talks in the island province of Hainan.
On the Taiwan issue, Tonga firmly adhered to the one-China policy, he said. It also supported the measures adopted by China to handle the incident that sabotaged social order in Lhasa, capital of the southwest Tibet Autonomous Region.
China’s affairs can only be tackled by China and no interference from any foreign country was acceptable, the king said. Hu thanked the king for his remarks. This year marked the 10th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Tonga and “opened a new chapter of bilateral ties,” Hu said.
The two countries maintained frequent high-level exchanges and scored fruitful cooperation in economic and trade, agriculture, education, public health, infrastructure and human resources training. There was also sound coordination in regional and global affairs, Hu added. China has always considered Tonga an intimate friend and vowed to provide assistance within its capacity for the island country’s economic construction, Hu said.
He said China adhered to a firm guideline to the growth of ties between the two nations, as well as other island countries in the Pacific.
King Tupou V commended the close commercial links between the two countries, in particular the sound cooperation in mineral resources exploration and development. The Tongan government would continue to engage in the mutually-beneficial cooperation between the two countries in all fields, the king said.
Before the talks, Hu hosted a red-carpet ceremony to welcome the king and his delegation. During his stay, King Tupou is scheduled to attend the opening ceremony of the annual meeting of Boao Forum for Asia, a non-governmental, non-profit forum that aims to promote exchanges and cooperation in Asia and the world. Meanwhile, Chinese President Hu Jintao inspected the southern province of Hainan before attending the annual meeting of the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) opening on Saturday.
The forum, April 11-13, is a platform for high-level interaction between leaders from Asia and the world. Boao has been the permanent venue of the annual regional economic forum since 2001.
Hu, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, discussed reform and development issues with local officials and visited with a public made up of various ethnic groups during the inspection tour that started on Monday.
The island province marks the 20th anniversary of the founding of the Hainan special economic zone (SEZ) later this month. Hu visited an exhibition marking the anniversary at the provincial museum.
“Over the past two decades, Hainan’s economic and social development has made a remarkable progress. The appearance of cities and villages has undergone profound changes. Practice shows the policy of setting up SEZ in Hainan is completely correct,” said the president.
Founded in 1988, Hainan is one of the five SEZs established since 1980. The others are Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Shantou and Xiamen, all in southern China. Hu showed his respect for the island’s model workers, farmers, teachers and police who had made great contribution to Hainan’s development. “You have done extraordinarily at ordinary positions,” Hu told them.
The president also revisited the state-level Yangpu Economic Zone in the northwest of the island. Twelve years before, he had been to the zone. Hu was very happy to learn that last year Yangpu’s economy increased by 60 percent and its import and export value was up by 213 percent.

—Xinhua