ＣＰＡＦＦＣ Ｖｉｃｅ Ｐｒｅｓｉｄｅｎｔ Ｌｉ Ｘｉａｏｌｉｎ ａｎｄ Ｈｅｒ Ｐａｒｔｙ Ｖｉｓｉｔ Ｔｏｎｇａ

Invited by the Tongan Government， a CPAFFC delegation headed by its vice president Li Xiaolin visited Tonga from April 24 to 28. The delegation had meetings with the Tongan Princess Salote Pilolevu Tuita and Prime Minister Feleti Sevele， and signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Friendship and Cooperation with the Tonga-China Friendship Association (TCFA).

The royal family， the government and the newly-founded TCFA attached great importance to the delegation’s visit as it was the first such visit made by a CPAFFC delegation in ten years. Due to bad weather， the plane the delegation boarded arrived behind schedule. Princess Salote who came to the airport to greet the delegation waited there for about two hours. Though it was already 10 pm when the delegation arrived， the hospitable hosts insisted on holding a grand ceremony at the hotel to welcome the delegation. The princess， the prime minister， the deputy prime minister and several ministers among about 50 people were present at the ceremony. Tongan friends in national costumes put garlands on every member of the delegation， treated them with Kava， a drink used by local people to greet distinguished guests， and performed traditional Tonga dances. The warmth of the Tongan people touched the heart of every member of the delegation.

During the delegation’s visit in Tonga， Princess Salote accompanied the delegation to attend all major activities. As it was inconvenient for Vice President Li Xiaolin to move about due to the ankle injury she got when arriving at the airport， the princess proposed that the meeting between the two friendship associations be held in the hotel where the delegation stayed. The Tongan hosts let the delegation take the special passageway used exclusively by the Tongan King during its entry into and exit from the country at the airport.

Prime Minister Feleti Sevele specially arranged a meeting with the delegation at his official residence apart from attending the welcoming banquet. He thanked the Chinese people for their consistent support for Tonga and expressed his willingness to push forward people-to-people exchanges between the two countries.

The Tonga-China Friendship Association was just founded when the delegation visited the country. The delegation had a meeting with TCFA President Princess Salote and all the council members of the TCFA， and signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Friendship and Cooperation between the two organizations. Princess Salote presented the statutes of the association to Vice President Li Xiaolin and said that she believes that people-to-people exchanges are the foundation and important contents of bilateral relations and that the TCFA will make unremitting efforts to enhance understanding and friendship between the two peoples and promote ties between the two countries. Li Xiaolin extended thanks to all the Tongan friends present particularly Princess Salote for their hard work， noting that the inception of the TCFA is of great significance and may serve as an example for other countries in the South Pacific region.

Though the visit was short， the kind-hearted and friendly Tongan people left a deep impression on the delegation. The delegation arrived in Tonga on a stormy day. The plane it took landed after several severe bumps and repeated landing attempts. To show respect for Princess Salote and other important figures who had been waiting at the airport for a long time， Vice President LiXiaolin in formal dress stepped down the plane first despite strong wind and heavy rain. Accidentally she fell on the slippery ramp， resulting in a fracture and sprains in her left ankle. In spite of the injuries and pains， Li in a wheelchair attended the welcoming ceremony and all other activities Tongan friends had arranged for the delegation.

People present at the ceremony were deeply moved by Vice President Li’s insistence on attending these functions. They rose to their feet and applauded to express their respect for this Chinese friend from afar when she entered the hall. Viliami Ta’su Tangi， deputy prime minister and health minister of Tonga， came to the hotel several times to check her injuries. Princess Salote came to see her and expressed solicitude and from time to time sent in medicine and people to check her injured ankle. Whether in the early morning or at midnight， Angela， an attendant of the hotel， always offered her assistance with sweet smiles. She often came to ask if the vice president needed a new bag of ice. There was no elevator in the hotel. Whenever the vice president needed to go downstairs to take part in activities， the strong male attendants would come to help carry her down in wheelchair. It was because of the help from those friendly Tongans that we concluded our visit smoothly. We experienced their friendly sentiments for the Chinese people. Princess Salote said with emotion， the Chinese people have always been our good friends. Unlike clouds in the sky， their friendship is substantial， which is reflected in the construction of our highways， hospitals， schools， etc. Wecherish our friendship with the Chinese people and are willing to work together with them to strengthen cooperation for win-win results.

Though far apart， there is a long history of friendly contact between the people of China and Tonga. China has provided aid to the social and economic development of Tonga within its capability over the years. Tonga is not rich， but when the snow storm hit Southern China and the magnitude earthquake ripped Wenchuan in Sichuan Province， the Tongan people made generous donations to show their solicitude for the people in the disaster areas. Our visit to Tonga was short， but it enabled both sides to get more direct knowledge about each other， deepened their understanding and forge profound friendship between them. We in the CPAFFC would like to join our friends in the TCFA to make unremitting efforts to enhance exchanges and cooperation between our peoples in accordance with the spirit of the Memorandum of Understanding on Friendship and Cooperation.