China

Vanuatu Govt joins call for China to reduce emissions

Ralph Regenvanu said that he had made the request to China's Ambassador to Vanuatu, Zhou Haicheng.

"I have written to the Chinese Ambassador requesting that China reduce emissions and stop using and promoting coal," he said on Twitter.

Mr Regenvanu said all Pacific Islands Forum member states should also call on China to do the same.

This week, the forum's Secretary General, Dame Meg Taylor, called on China to do more than just meet Paris Agreement targets.

     

PIF urges China to 'take lead' in reducing carbon emissions

Dame Meg Taylor was speaking at a Pacific Island development forum hosted by China in Samoa this week.

Countries needed to be more ambitious than meeting Paris Agreement targets, she said, and China could be an "important ally" by taking the lead in "escalating its ambition level and its commitments" under the Paris Agreement.

"To just meet our Paris targets is no longer enough," she said at the third China-Pacific Island Countries Economic Development and Cooperation Forum.

Solomons' deal with Chinese developer sparks 'concern'

Experts say the arrangement in Central Province would give the developer and other Chinese firms a strategic inlet into Solomon Islands, which until last month was one of Taiwan's dwindling allies in the Pacific.

The government traded Taiwan for China in a move that it said would promise more development for the nation.

Solomons signs up to China's 'Belt and Road Initiative'

Manasseh Sogavare attended high-level talks in Beijing during the first ever official visit to China by a Solomons' prime minister.

His visit follows last month's controversial move by the Solomons to switch its diplomatic recognition to China, ending a long relationship with Taiwan.

While in Beijing, Mr Sogavare met China's President Xi Jinping, with the two leaders signing various agreements.

According to the ABC, one of the agreements was for co-operation under China's sprawling Belt and Road initiative.

China's Pacific investment a 'trap'

It comes as Solomon Islands continues to reassess its relationship with Taiwan, ahead of a possible diplomatic switch to China.

Sixteen Solomons MPs declared last week they wanted the country to stick with Taiwan, following the visit of a ministerial delegation to China.

The group is led by the Minister for National Planning, Rick Hou, who said a vote in parliament on the matter would not happen this year.

Speaking to reporters in Palau last week, Dr Wu said he respected that the Solomons needed time to debate the issue.

China hands over complex to Samoa ahead of Pacific Games

Speaking at the ceremony yesterday Samoa's Prime Minister Tuilaepa Malielegaoi thanked China saying the building of the Multi-Sport Centre aligns with the government's vision to grow Faleata as the sports hub of Samoa and the Pacific region.

The Multi-Sport Centre consists of two state-of-the-art indoor and outdoor netball courts built to international specifications. It also has the capacity to host badminton, basketball, table tennis, boxing and other indoor sports.

Deadly earthquake hits China's Sichuan province

The 6.0 magnitude earthquake struck near Yibin in Changning County, south-east of the provincial capital Chengdu, late on Monday, officials said.

It was followed by several powerful aftershocks.

TV footage showed rescuers pulling injured people from the rubble of collapsed buildings.

More than 4,000 people have had to be relocated because their homes were destroyed or damaged, state media reported.

China Central Television showed the aftermath of a landslide that had blocked a road and left a lorry engulfed in debris.

China, Vanuatu look to deepen exchanges on all fronts

President Xi made the remarks during his meeting with Charlot Salwai, Prime Minister of the Republic of Vanuatu, at Beijing's Great Hall of the People. This is the first official visit by the leader of the Pacific island nation to China.

China has long endorsed the idea that all countries should be treated equally within the international community, regardless of the size of that country, President Xi pointed out, emphasizing that China will support Vanuatu's independent will when choosing the right path for its own development.

China, Vanuatu vow to strengthen BRI cooperation

China and Vanuatu aim to strengthen their comprehensive strategic partnership in multiple fields. The Belt and Road cooperation is on top of the agenda for Salwai's visit.  

Li welcomed Salwai with a red carpet ceremony in Beijing on Monday morning. 

During their talks, Li said that China is willing to enhance political mutual trust, deepen exchanges and cooperation in varies fields and push forward the China-Vanuatu relations to a new stage.

Vanuatu to seek more Belt and Road assistance from Beijing: PM

The Pacific premier will meet President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang during his first official visit to the Asian giant starting on May 26, according to China’s foreign ministry.

China’s footprint in the Pacific region has been growing in the past decade. Pacific governments now owe about $1.3 billion in concessional debt to China, raising fears in the West that the region was becoming more susceptible to Beijing’s diplomatic pressure and unsustainable debt burdens.