From September 5^th to 8^th in 2021, Jiang Jiang, vice president of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, led the diplomatic corps of Pacific island countries to visit Fujian province and to attend China-Pacific Islands forum named “Win-Win Cooperation and Common Development”. They also met Wang Ning, governor of Fujian province, in Xiamen city and attended the the opening ceremony of the 21^st China International Fair for Investment & Trade and the 2021 International Investment Forum to explore new opportunities between China, especially Fujian province with countries on the islands of the Pacific Ocean, so as to jointly plan for the development relating to ocean and to push forward friendly development between people. Members of the diplomatic corps were ambassadors and diplomats from Samoa, Tonga, the Federated States of Micronesia, Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea as well as trade commissioners from Trade and Investment Commission of Pacific Islands Forum.

    China-Pacific Islands Forum named “Win-Win Cooperation and Common Development” was organized by Fujian Provincial People’s Government and Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries. Attendees included Guo Ningning, vice governor of Fujian province, Jiang Jiang, vice president, Lai Jun, secretary of party working committee of Pingtan Comprehensive Experiment Zone, ambassadors to China and diplomats of Pacific Island countries, experts and scholars from National Institute for South China Sea Studies and National Weed Center Hainan Base and more than a hundred of representatives of Fujian enterprises. They would discuss two topics which were “promotion and development of trade and economy of Pacific Island” and “maritime economic sustainable development”.

    Guo Ningning said that there’s huge cooperation space for maritime economy between Fujian and Pacific islands, so we needed to build a communication platform and to plan for projects and long-term development. The authorities needed to enhance cooperation to improve trade and economy under the structure of the joint construction of a high-quality “Belt and Road” initiative; to develop friendship; to improve communication and cooperation in culture, education, sanitary, sports and youth related areas, all of which could start a new chapter of the friendship between Fujian and island countries.

    Jiang Jiang said in his speech that the area near the southeast coastline of China was the origin of Austronesian family. China and Pacific islands had been linked by the ocean since ancient times. We had been good friends who trusted and respected each other and who sought win-win cooperation and common development. Chinese government had been sticking to principles of being “true, practical, friendly and trust-worthy” when committed to maritime protection and maritime resource exploitation; complemented each others’ weakness and pursued win-win cooperation and common development. China and Pacific islands should make new contribution to enhance the maritime cooperation of the “Belt and Road” initiative through reasonable exploitation of maritime resource, preservation and improvement of maritime ecology and working hand in hand to build a maritime community with shared fate.

    Envoys from islands in Pacific ocean introduced in detail their development strategies, investment environment and economic cooperation with China. They all agreed on the fact that China had been following the principle that countries, no matter big or small, were equal, and China had been treating Pacific island countries as equal and committed to win-win cooperation and common development. One of the proofs was that edible fungus growth with grass cuttings from China had helped people on Pacific island to get rid of poverty. Those countries were willing to be supported by China’s economic development. They could realize sustainable development by relying on mineral resource, tourism and fishery industry as well as by promoting the construction of “maritime silk road” in their nations to seize new development opportunities. Pacific islands were home to fragile ecological environment and countries in these places were looking forward to launch maritime ecological protection and research and to slowdown the climate change.

    In Pingtan, the delegation team visited the Pingtan International Research Center for Austronesian Archaeology to have a better understanding of the origin and the spread of Austronesian family and they also visited a cross-border e-commerce logistic park and the island research center of natural resource to know more about president Xi Jinping’s strategic plan of “one island, two windows and three zones” for Pingtan. Envoys said in the interview that according to archaeological research, Pingtan was one of the origins of Austronesian family known to the public. Thousands of years ago, ancestors speaking this kind of language set off from the southeast coastline of China, traveled across the sea and reached island in the Pacific Ocean to continue their lives. These connection could narrow the psychological distance between people from China and Pacific islands. Delegates hoped that more people from Pacific islands would know this historical and cultural connection and enhance our friendship.

    In Xiamen, the delegation attended the 21^st China International Fair for Investment & Trade and the 2021 International Investment Forum on invitation. They visited consulates, Xiamen Marine International Cooperation Center and Maritime Economic Public Service Center. They watched “Joint fighting against Pandemic·Create a Shared Future”-2021 Xianmen “Trip·Photo Friendly Cities” exhibition and the photo exhibition of the friendly communication between cities of BRICS. Through activities above, delegation had a better understanding of Xianmen’s economic and trade investment policy, advantages to develop maritime economy and experience communication between friendly cities, and they expressed their willingness to have more friendly communication and practical cooperation between Xiamen and their countries. They would like to learn the experience to develop maritime economy and to construct a maritime community with shared fate.