On 24th April, Liang Weidong (L1, Secretary of the CPC Dongguan Municipal Committee) met with a delegation led by Lord Fakafanua (R1, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Tonga).

On 24th April, Liang Weidong (Secretary of the CPC Dongguan Municipal Committee) met with a delegation led by Lord Fakafanua (Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Tonga). Each side exchanged thoughts on deepening exchange and cooperation in various fields.

Liang extended a warm welcome to the arrival of Lord Fakafanua and the delegation. Liang said that under the guidance of the China-Tonga comprehensive strategic partnership, exchange between Dongguan and Tonga have been very close. In recent years, the two sides have achieved positive results, via exchange and cooperation, in the fields of infrastructure, agriculture, and healthcare. Referencing the consensus reached by leaders of the two countries as a guide, Dongguan will commit to further expand and deepen exchange and cooperation with Tonga in various fields, and strive to achieve mutually beneficial win-win results benefiting people of both countries.

Liang said that Dongguan will compose a cultural and artistic delegation to visit Tonga so as to further promote exchange and cooperation in the humanities. Meanwhile, cooperation between the two cities will be vigorously promoted to formally establish a link with the Ha'apai area as sister cities this year. He hopes that through joint efforts, the scope of cooperation between Dongguan and Tonga will be further expanded, and increased friendly exchanges deepened to achieve more positive results.

Lord Fakafanua thanked Dongguan for its' hospitality. He said that Tonga and China have a long history of exchange in the humanities and have maintained good relations for a long time. Exchanges between Tonga and Dongguan are increasingly closer. It is a pleasure for him to see that the Ha'apai area will be a sister city with Dongguan, which will afford Ha'apai more opportunities for open development. It is hoped that exchanges with Dongguan will be further strengthened, especially cooperation in the fields of agricultural products processing and tourism.

The delegation also visited the Dongguan Exhibition Hall and watched the Xiangdao (incense lore) and Guzheng (Chinese zither) performances at the Intangible Cultural Heritage Pavilion of the Dongguan Civil Art Centre. Later, the delegation paid a visit to Dongguan Huamei Food Co. Ltd. in Chashan Town and learned about the development of the food processing industry in Dongguan.