From Nov 30 to Dec 2，2022，the Chinese Embassy to Cook Islands held a Reception, a Chinese Film Festival, a Photo Exhibition, and a Cloud Concert together with the Cook Islands Government in Rarotonga in celebration of the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and the Cook Islands.
In the evening of Dec 2 local time , HE Ambassador Wang Xiaolong and his colleagues from the Embassy, joined over a hundred dignitaries, including HE Sir Tom Marsters, King’s Representative to the Cook Islands, Hon Mark Brown, Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of the Cook Islands and other cabinet members, Hon Tina Browne, Leader of the Democratic Party, other Members of the Cook Islands Parliament, members of the diplomatic corps and friends from various societies of the Cook Islands, in the theme reception to mark the 25th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries .
At the commencement of the Reception, a silence was observed in memory of President Jiang Zemin.
In his remarks, PM Brown says that the Cook Islands-China relations have fared a quarter of a century and Cook Islands is looking forward to the next 25 years, 50 years, and even 100 years. The Cook Islands side appreciates the valuable support provided by China for the economic and social development of the country. Although the two countries are far apart, as an old Chinese poem has it, "though we may be thousands of miles away, friendship makes us neighbours at heart"（海内存知己，天涯若比邻). In 2014, the leaders of the two countries upgraded bilateral relationship to a strategic partnership, and in 2018, further upgraded it to a comprehensive strategic partnership of mutual respect and common development. Today, Cook Islands reiterates its desire to strengthen this partnership and looks forward to enhancing the relationship and bringing more benefits to the people of both countries. Let's toast to 25 years of friendship and cooperation between Cook Islands and China, and to the next 25 years of friendship, health and prosperity between the two countries!
（Hon Mark Brown, Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of the Cook Islands delivers his remarks at the Reception. Photo by Vicky Lu )
HE Amb Wang Xiaolong acknowledges Hon PM Brown for his warm words and extends the deep appreciation, on behalf of the Chinese Government and People, to those who have witnessed, participated in and contributed to the development over the years of the bilateral relations. He further pays tribute to President Jiang Zemin, Hon PMs Geoffrey Henry, Joe Williams, Terepai Maoate and Jim Marurai, who have contributed to the relationship along the way. Since the establishment of diplomatic ties, China and the Cook Islands have been actively pursuing friendship and cooperation for common development and addressing challenges of the times hand in hand and shoulder to shoulder. In this process, the bilateral relations have grown in both breadth and depth, giving increasing substance to the evolving partnership, benefiting both peoples, and contributing to global and regional peace and development at the same time.
（HE Amb Wang Xiaolong delivers remarks at the Reception. Photo by Vicky Lu）
Amb Wang briefs that just recently, the Communist Party of China has successfully concluded its 20th National Congress, which elected the new leadership of the Party with General Secretary Xi Jinping at its core, reaffirming that the fundamental and central task of China’s future development is to realize the Second Centenary Goal of building China into a great modern socialist country in all respects and to advance the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through a Chinese path to modernization. China remains committed to its fundamental national policy of opening up to the outside world and as part of that policy, will continue to pursue mutually beneficial cooperation with all countries in the world, striving to create new opportunities for the world with its own new development and to contribute its share to building an open global economy that delivers greater benefits and common prosperity to all peoples. China will endeavor to safeguard world peace, promote common development, reinforce solidarity and cooperation with fellow developing countries by, among other things, increasing the input of resources in development cooperation, and contribute to building a community with a shared future for mankind.
(HE Amb Wang Xiaolong and Hon PM Brown exchange gifts in memory of the 25 years, photo by Vicky Lu )
Amb Wang emphasizes that while the world is undergoing profound changes and grappling with the impact of COVID , both unseen in a century, China and the Cook Islands, like other countries, are also faced with complex challenges. China and the Cook Islands, at a critical juncture in their respective development, should go on treating each other in the spirit of equality and mutual trust and lend support to each other especially to safeguard our respective core interests and major concerns, join hands to enhance political trust by way of more high-level engagement, promote mutual understanding through more dialogues and communications at various levels, increase people-to-people exchanges to deepen the fraternity between our two peoples, and enhance exchanges and communications on regional and international issues. China is looking forward to working with the Cook Islands to push the comprehensive strategic partnership to new heights to better benefit our two peoples and contribute to world and regional peace and development. Amb Wang proposes a toast to 25 years of China-Cook Islands relationship, to the happiness and welfare of the two peoples and to the brighter future for both countries and the ever growing partnership between China and the Cook Islands.
(HE Amb Wang Xiaolong and the dignitaries at the Photo Exhibition, photo by Vicky Lu )
Prior to the Reception, Amb Wang together with HE Sir Tom Marsters, King’s Representative, Hon Mark Brown, Prime Minister and Foreign Minister and other dignitaries attended the Photo Exhibition in retrospect of the highlights over the 25years of the bilateral relations. During the Reception, all the guests enjoyed the Cloud Concert co-organized by the Zhuhai Municipal Government of Guangdong Province and the Cook Islands Ministry of Cultural Development.The traditional Chinese folk music, the Cook Islands dance, and the Song of Auld Lang Syne jointly presented by both the Chinese and the Cook Islands students draw bursts of applause. The guests left kind words for the China-Cook Islands relations in the visitor’s book.
(HE Amb Wang Xiaolong and guests enjoy the Cloud Concert)
(HE Amb Wang Xiaolong delivers remarks at the Opening Ceremony of the Chinese Film Festival，photo by Vicky Lu )
On Nov 30 local time,the Embassy launched the Chinese Film Festival in Celebration of the 25th Anniversary in the Rarotonga Empire Cinema. In their remarks at the opening ceremony, Amb Wang Xiaolong and Ms Kairangi Samuela, Acting Secretary of the Cook Islands Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Immigration, both highly commend the achievements of the bilateral relations, reiterate support for people-to-people exchanges, and reaffirm full confidence in the future development of the bilateral relations. The guests and audience watched the film of “The Wandering Earth” at the opening ceremony. The other films showed at the festival, including “Sister”, “Cliff Walkers”, “Ne Zha”, and “My Country, My Parents”, were broadly welcomed by the Rarotonga audience.
(HE Amb Wang Xiaolong in warm exchanges with the Heads of various governmental departments, photos by Vicky Lu)
(HE Amb Wang Xiaolong in warm interaction with teachers and students of Apii Nikao, photo by Vicky Lu)
(HE Amb Wang Xiaolong in warm exchanges with the Cook Islands friends, photo by Vicky Lu)
During his stay in Rarotonga, HE Amb Wang Xiaolong also had face-to-face talks with senior officials of Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Immigration, Finance and Economic Development, Education, Health, Culture Development and Agriculture, paid a visit to Apii Nikao, the building of which was aided by the Chinese Government, the infrastructure aided by the Zhuhai Municipal Government, and visited the Cook Islands Museum and Stadium. He also had a close interaction with the local people of the Chinese blood. He exchanged views with the above-mentioned on promoting the China-Cook Islands relations based on the celebration of the 25th Anniversary of the bilateral relations.