By Samie Waikori
Malaita province is reaping the benefits of the historic sister-relationship it forged with Jiangsu province in China.
Since the two established their relationship last year, Malaita province has so far received materials worth more than $SBD 1 million from Jiangsu province.
China’s Ambassador to Solomon Islands, His Excellency Cai Weiming, announced this at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Auki Road sealing project in Auki last Wednesday.
He said that since China’s Jiangsu province signed the friendly cooperation MOU with Malaita Province in April 2024, the relationship between the two provinces has been instrumental.
Weiming highlighted that the cooperation enhances mutual understanding and collaboration, contributing to win-win outcomes in areas such as infrastructure, education, agriculture, and livelihoods.
“Jiangsu has donated livelihood materials worth more than 1 million SBD to Malaita, including tractors, solar street lights, water tanks, pumps, computers, and printers,” he said.
In the meantime, he also announced that Malaita province has the highest number of students who have received Chinese government scholarships to study in China.
“Among the 160 Solomon Islands students who have been offered the Chinese government scholarship to study in China, half are from Malaita province.
“We have spared no effort to support Malaita province in achieving common development,” he said.
Moreover, the ambassador highlighted the important medical support offered by China through its medical team in Auki, Malaita province.
“The Chinese medical team has visited Malaita province three times, treating more than 1,000 Malaita patients,” he said.
According to Weiming, the PRC’s relationship with Malaita province is a vivid example of the broader China-Solomon Islands relationship.
“Our cooperation with Malaita sets a vivid example for China-Solomon Islands cooperation,” Ambassador Weiming emphasized.
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