Cooperation, Peace, and Friendship

True Friends and Brothers

When we met the returned fourth batch of Chinese police liaison team to the Solomon Islands in Beijing， my most striking impression was their bronzed skin. Deputy team leader Li Bing explained somewhat bashfully， \"The Solomon Islands is near the equator， and it's really hot and sunny. The strong UV rays and sweat can cause patches on our skin， so it's normal for our team to have such a tan.\"When listening to these advisors talk about their 273-day experience in this Pacific island nation， I realized that their tan， similar to that of the local islanders， was just the most visible sign of their dedication and hard work.

It was a journey of friendship， cooperation， and mutual understanding， in name and by nature.

\"The cooperation between us and the Chinese police liaison team is open， unconditional， and transparent. Your willingness to support any partners in assisting the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force with team building and combat capabilities development is truly remarkable. You are true friends and good brothers，\" Mostyn Mangau， the Chief Commissioner of the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force， told the advisors of the liaison team on September 14， 2023， during the reception held by the Solomon Islands police to welcome the forth batch and see off the third batch of Chinese police liaison team.

Zhao Jinyong， the leader of the fourth batch of Chinese police liaison team to the Solomon Islands， repeatedly emphasized that the police cooperation between China and the Solomon Islands will adhere to the principles of \"professionalism， efficiency， and friendliness\" as well as \"openness， transparency， and goodwill\". He stated that the Chinese police liaison team was willing to cooperate with all Solomon Islands police partners with an open mind， while providing police training， cooperation， and assistance in a transparent manner. This open and transparent approach was acknowledged by their Solomon Islands counterparts and demonstrated in every advisor's daily tasks.

Wan Xu is a resident Chinese advisor at the Solomon Islands National Criminal Investigation Department. During his more than 200-day mission， he worked and lunched with the local police， establishing a close rapport with them. Wan was invited to a celebration held by the National Criminal Investigation Department to mark the success of security operations during national elections. In his opening speech， Acting Director Leslie Simao raved about the support provided by the Chinese police liaison team to the Solomon Islands Criminal Investigation Department and commended Wan as one of the most popular members of the department.

\"You are like a Solomon lad， you are one of us!\"The phrase \"you are one of us\" became a common compliment for the advisors of the Chinese liaison team throughout the Solomon Islands， from the main island to the outer islands.

Footsteps Across the Entire Solomon Islands

The Solomon Islands are located in the southwestern Pacific Ocean and belong to the Melanesian Islands. They consist of over 900 islands， including Guadalcanal Island， New Georgia Island， Malaita Island， Choiseul Island， Santa Isabel Island， San Cristobal Island， and the Santa Cruz Islands. The Solomon Islands are divided into nine provinces and one city: Central province， Choiseul province， Guadalcanal province， the capital city Honiara， Isabel province， Makira-Ulawa province， Malaita province， Rennell and Bellona province， Temotu province， and Western province.

At the invitation of the Solomon Islands police， Chinese police officer Zhao Jinyong led a Chinese team of 10 advisors to Malaita province from January 17 to 26 for a police training session and cultural exchange. From February 19 to March 29， the police liaison team dispatched three groups to police stations in eight outer island provinces， excluding Guadalcanal Island where the capital Honiara is located. They successfully trained 268 grassroots police officers and oversaw the handover of more than 400 sets of police equipment. This included the first visits by the Chinese police liaison team to Temotu province， Malaita province， Choiseul province， Makira-Ulawa province， Rennell and Bellona province， and Western province. The liaison team has hitherto covered the entire Solomon Islands， conducting police training， cultural exchanges， and distribution of police equipment.

Behind this success， lies the selfless dedication and hard work of all advisors， leaving many touching stories about the friendship between China and the Solomon Islands among the local people.

Transportation is the primary challenge when traveling to the outer islands. Boats and planes are frequently delayed or canceled， and their age often renders them ill-equipped to withstand harsh weather， resulting in exceptionally bumpy journeys. Accommodations have nothing to recommend， with drinking water often being impurely stored rainwater. Power outages and lack of internet access were common， and mosquitoes， centipedes， rats， and cockroaches were a constant presence in the rooms. Air conditioning and fans were unattainable luxuries. Food primarily consisted of bread， biscuits， and locally produced cassava， which the Chinese advisors were not accustomed to. Training venues were often open grassy areas， exposed to intense heat and UV rays.

The advisors managed to overcome various living difficulties. However， the lack of medical resources posed an even greater concern， especially when anyone got injured by accident.

On the afternoon of March 13， 2024， while demonstrating the subject" \"Tactical Retreat\" in a riot control tactics training class at the Central Province police station， Li Bing slipped and fell on the slippery ground. He hit his head， causing it to bleed. With the help of his teammates and Solomon Islands police instructors， he received basic first aid for his wound. Then he continued teaching until he finished the class.

However， due to the hot and humid weather， Li's wound quickly became infected. Because of the limited local medical facilities， he had to return to Honiara the next day for further treatment. After the Chinese medical team treated his wound and ensured there was no cerebral haemorrhage， Li immediately returned to Tulagi to continue his work. During this time， his teammates and Solomon Islands colleagues were deeply concerned by his condition. His teammate Lu Liang later told him， \"When you left for treatment， Suiga， our training center instructor， was very worried about your injury.\" Li added that it wasn't until Suiga saw him return safely that he felt relieved.

In designing the training program， the Chinese police liaison team ensured it closely met the practical needs of the Solomon Islands police. Dong Pengpeng， the leader of the third batch of the Chinese police liaison team， upon assuming the role of team leader for the fourth batch， actively shared his work experiences with his new teammates while imparting lessons learned from his earlier training experience.

Dong， along with his teammate Feng Quan， brought their training experiences and public safety management expertise to the Malaita province police station. A local female officer， who was five months pregnant， and several senior officers attended the training despite the bad weather. They told the liaison team that they decided to attend the training session because the practical courses greatly boosted their confidence in their work.

The liaison team trained， worked and lived alongside their local counterparts. Their professionalism and sincerity earned them heartfelt recognition. At the graduation ceremony for the riot control training at the Malaita province police station， Lu Liang made his respect， amiability， and sincerity felt by his counterparts because he could accurately pronounce each name of the trainees in the local language.

The police officers from both countries collaborated on training in the capital city and eight outer islands， forming great friendships. Chief Commissioner Mangau praised them， \"You have completed a great mission! You said you would do it， and you made it. You are the best!\"Temotu province， a two-hour flight from the Solomon Islands'capital Honiara， is a far-flung province in the southeast of the Solomon Islands. At the graduation ceremony for the Temotu province police station training， assistant commissioner Stanley Riolo said， \"Temotu is the most remote and impoverished province in the Solomon Islands， with scarce resources and harsh conditions. No senior leaders have visited our police station in the past decade. The Chinese police liaison team is the first international police team to visit here. I am immensely impressed by the professionalism and dedication of the Chinese police instructors!\"

A Safer Solomon Islands

The Chinese police liaison team provided practical tactical and technical training for the Solomon Islands police， along with advanced police equipment and concepts.

On November 19， 2023， the Pacific Games were held in Honiara， the capital of the Solomon Islands， marking the first event of this kind there. The games took place at the National Stadium， which was built with Chinese assistance. For the Pacific Games， China not only provided security equipment to the country but also assisted the local police with event security. The Chinese police liaison team worked hard to enhance the country's national security capabilities for large-scale events by training security personnel and conducting stress tests.

According to Wang Feng， a member of the security team， in the lead-up to the Pacific Games， the Chinese advisors conducted multiple security screening training sessions for over 170 Solomon Islands police officers， security personnel， and volunteers. The training included the use of security gates， X-ray machines， and handheld metal detectors， as well as security zone management， inspection procedures， and emergency responses. This comprehensive training was a booster to the equipment use， skills， concepts， and confidence. Additionally， they conducted stress tests during local football matches to assess police security capabilities and address the shortcomings， if any.

Due to the success of the stress tests， the event organizing committee agreed to use the security gates， handheld metal detectors， and X-ray machines provided by China at event venues. They also decided to assign Solomon Islands police to manage security tasks in the core areas of these venues.

On the day of the opening ceremony， event spectators began entering the venue at 4 pm. By 6 pm， the security gates showed that the number of attendees had exceeded 9，000. The liaison team concluded that most of the spectators were already inside and that the peak pressure period had passed.

On November 28， 2023，" Manasseh Sogavare， the then Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands， met with the advisors of the Chinese police liaison team after the event and extended his sincere gratitude， \"During this time， I have noticed your dedicated efforts to ensure the safety of the event. I am very grateful for everything you have done for our country. Every time I see you， I feel our country is safer than before.\"

Solomon Islands Police Permanent Secretary， Karen Galokale， said， \"The police equipment provided by China has not only enhanced the capability of our police force but also increased the sense of security among residents of the Solomon Islands. All of us have felt the goodwill of the Chinese police liaison team.\"

On December 8， 2023， the Second Ministerial Dialogue on Police Capacity Building and Cooperation Between China and Pacific Island Countries was held in Beijing. State Councilor and Minister of Public Security Wang Xiaohong stated that China is willing to work with all parties to implement the important consensus reached between President Xi Jinping and the leaders of Pacific Island countries. This includes promoting the spirit of \"professionalism， efficiency， friendship\"， and \"openness， transparency， goodwill\"， adhering to the principles of \"Four Respects\" (full respect for Pacific Island Nations' sovereignty and independence， as well as their willingness to cooperate and cultural traditional). By effectively leveraging the China-Pacific Island Countries Police Training Center platform， China aims to strengthen security cooperation and enhance professional law enforcement capabilities， crime-fighting， and command operations of the island countries， thereby significantly deepening cooperative relations and building a closer security community with a shared future.

The conference recognized the substantial progress made since the inaugural ministerial dialogue and resolved to adopt \"enhancing cooperation to be more professional， efficient， and friendly， and ensuring greater safety for island countries\" as the permanent theme. A broad consensus on future cooperation was also reached during this meeting.

Moms， Brothers， and \"Shifu\"

The Chinese police liaison team， comprising officers from the grass-roots public security agencies across China， introduced the \"Fengqiao Experience\" (a hallmark of successful social governance practices in China) to this distant island nation. Through various practical and influential programs， they built strong connections and deep friendships with their counterparts and the local people.

Li Caitang， the only female police officer from Fujian province in the liaison team， won many friends among the local people with her sincerity， bright smile， and even the tea from her hometown， planting seeds of friendship in their hearts.

Li is not only a close friend to the local people but also the \"Chinese police mom\" to many children. She traveled to provinces like Malaita and Temotu， providing support to local schools and communities. She brought school supplies and cute gifts to local children， encouraging them to cherish their education. Li told them both China and the Soloman Islands are both developing countries and how China has risen from poverty to prosperity. She reminded the children that their parents had worked tirelessly to give them the chance to go to school and emphasized the importance of being grateful to their parents by studying hard. She encouraged the children to change their destinies through education， contribute to their country， and become promoters of China-Solomon Islands friendship.

Every time she finished talking to school kids like this， some local mothers would hug Li and say， \"Thank you! Thank you for everything you have done for us.\" Reflecting on the heartfelt embrace that defied language barriers， Li still felt deeply moved.

Wan Xu， Dong Pengpeng， and He Xiang， assigned to the far-off Rennell and Bellona province in the Solomon Islands， brought a tangible image of China to these areas. Due to the power shortage， Wan charged his laptop using solar power during the day and showed Chinese documentaries and kung fu movies to the village children at night. The local islanders were full of curiosity when they first saw Chinese people， especially Chinese police officers. The village children， aged from five to sixteen， eagerly asked the three officers all sorts of questions about China. These advisors became cultural ambassadors， sharing stories about Chinese culture and the daily lives of Chinese police officers.

Small as the laptop screen was， every evening， all the village children would huddle around it for movies. When the three Chinese advisors were leaving after their mission， the entire village， young and old， came to see them off. Although the islanders might never have the chance to leave the island to see the outside world， they learned from these Chinese officers that China is a strong and friendly country， and that the Chinese people are gentle and good friends.

While most of the Chinese advisors earned friendships with the local people; Feng Quan， a martial arts expert， attracted 50 Solomon Islander followers who affectionately called him \"Shifu，\" literally martial arts master in Chinese. The outdoor police training grounds on the outer islands frequently drew local residents to watch Feng's teaching class. Four children even asked Feng to teach them Chinese kung fu， and he gladly agreed， patiently demonstrating each move. After one of Feng's training class， the four children invited him to the beach， where， to his surprise， 50 more local children were eagerly waiting for him to teach them kung fu. Reflecting on his 50 young followers， Feng Quan beams with pride.

In March 2024， Zhang Shengyu and his team traveled to the Isabel province police station to deliver Chinese police equipment aid and conduct related training programs. Due to weather conditions， their flight was canceled， and they had to take a cargo ship， which took 11 hours to reach their destination. During the journey， a crew member from Isabel province started a conversation with Zhang. Upon learning that they were Chinese police officers coming to train the local police， he expressed his appreciation for the positive changes he had seen since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the Solomon Islands. He remarked that the arrival of Chinese personnel had helped the Solomon Islanders to \"open their eyes to the world\" and thanked the Chinese police liaison team for coming to his hometown for their training mission.

As the conversation turned to the recent turmoil in the Solomon Islands， the man couldn't hold back his tears. Zhang reassured him that the relationship between China and the Solomon Islands was built on equality and mutual benefit. He was confidante that， through the joint efforts of both countries， the situation in the Solomon Islands would surely improve.

From July 9 to 15， Solomon Islands Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele made an official visit to China. This visit coincided with the 5th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the Solomon Islands and was Manele's first visit to China since being elected as the new Prime Minister in May of this year.

On the afternoon of July 12， President Xi Jinping met with Prime Minister Manele at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

Xi Jinping pointed out that China regards the Solomon Islands as a good friend， good partner， and good brother. He expressed China's willingness to strengthen strategic communication with the Solomon Islands and work together to build a China-Solomon Islands community with a shared future in the new era， to better benefit the peoples of both countries.

Xi Jinping emphasized that China's friendly cooperation with the Solomon Islands and other Pacific island countries is sincerely aimed at helping these countries achieve development. This cooperation does not target any third party， nor does it seek to obtain any private interests.

Manele stated that his visit to China began in Fujian province， where he deeply appreciated the tremendous achievements of China's development and recognized the vast potential and broad prospects of the Solomon Islands-China cooperation. Thanks to participating in the Belt and Road Initiative， the Solomon Islands has made significant progress in infrastructure construction. The Solomon Islands hopes to further deepen the comprehensive strategic partnership with China and build a community with a shared future between the two countries.

During his visit to Fujian， Prime Minister Manele expressed deep appreciation and praise for China's efforts to enhance and maintain the capabilities of the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF). He commended China for its assistance in ensuring the successful hosting of the 2023 Pacific Games last November and the recent national general elections. Manele expressed hope that the police cooperation projects between the Solomon Islands and China would continue and deepen in the future.

Chinese Ambassador to the Solomon Islands， Cai Weiming， stated that the police liaison team dispatched by China has traveled to various islands and communities， providing Solomon Islands police with a significant amount of professional equipment and skills training. This has made a positive contribution to maintaining social stability in the Solomon Islands.

As envoys of peace and bridges of friendship， from the first batch to the fourth， the Chinese police liaison team has continuously played a crucial role in the law enforcement cooperation between the two countries. Each advisor has fully demonstrated their professional skills and dedication to enriching this equal and mutually beneficial cooperation. They have achieved excellent results. Looking ahead， the prospects for police and law enforcement cooperation between China and the Solomon Islands are broad and promising. This cooperation is expected to set a new model for friendly interactions between nations on the global stage， promoting the construction of new international relations based on mutual respect， fairness， justice， and win-win cooperation.