On June 23rd, the 23rd Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) Leaders’ Summit was held in Suva, Fiji. Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka, Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape, Solomon Islands Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele, Vanuatu Prime Minister Jotham Napat, Indonesia Vice Foreign Minister Arrmanatha Nasir attended the Summit. Chinese Ambassador to Fiji H.E. Mr. Zhou Jian participated as Special Guest.

Ambassador Zhou congratulated Fiji on assuming the chairmanship, and highly commended MSG as a crucial platform for promoting regional peace, stability, economic integration, cultural exchanges and so on. Ambassador Zhou emphasized that China has always adhered to the “Four Full Respects” principle in developing relations with PICs, and the Third China-PICs Foreign Ministers’ Meeting held in May has provided an important platform for enhancing mutual trust and expanding cooperation between China and the region. China will continue to pursue mutual respect and common development with PICs, working together to build a community with a shared future between China and PICs.

Delegates at the Summit had in-depth exchanges on strengthening MSG solidarity, addressing climate change and other global challenges. A Joint Communique was endorsed during the summit.