The Sol2023 Pacific Games concluded with a vibrant closing ceremony at Honiara’s National Stadium on December 2. This year marks the first time the Solomon Islands have hosted the event since gaining independence in 1978.
(Photo/Sol2023 Pacific Games)
"Tonight, we take the first step in telling our Games story to the world," said Manasseh Sogavare, the Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands, at the opening ceremony.
According to CCTV News ,it is reported that China has assisted in the construction of a number of venues, including the National Stadium, Aquatic Center, Tennis Center, Hockey Field, Training Ground, and seven single facilities. They have also provided various comprehensive facilities such as catering service centers and multi-function halls, with a total building area exceeding 26,000 square meters. This infrastructure support will be used for the Games. Among these facilities, the east and west stands of the National Stadium of the Solomon Islands, the main stadium, can accommodate 10,000 spectators. The venue seats are blue, green, and yellow, which are the colors of the Solomon Islands flag. And the seats neatly form the inscriptions of "Solomon Islands".
Xinhua News and the Global Times have reported that China not only invited Solomon athletes and coaches for sports training in China, but also sent 19 Chinese coaches to the Solomon Islands to provide training and competition guidance. Furthermore, China has sent medical teams to provide traditional Chinese medicine health care and rehabilitation services such as acupuncture, cupping, and Chinese massage for athletes and other staff. China Meteorological News said in a report that they have also organized meteorological experts to provide accurate weather guidance, and offered strong technological and product support. China has established a platform for meteorological forecast products of the Pacific Games and produced and provided weather forecast products for the Solomon Islands and surrounding areas. China's assistance in various aspects has fully utilized its strength and greatly contributed to the successful hosting of the Pacific Games.
China's aid to the Solomon Islands has mirrored the theme of the Games, "Challenge, Celebrate, Unite - promoting unity through sports and celebrating the cultural diversity of the Solomon Islands and the Pacific region."
The 2023 Pacific Games stadium project has provided a new pathway for the Solomon Islands to address employment issues and new opportunities for local youth and small businesses. China's medical assistance has also greatly benefited the local population and, to a certain extent, enhanced the medical capacity of the Solomon Islands. George Wilson Malefoasi, Chief Executive Officer of the National Referral Hospital, said, "Chinese doctors provide us with some of the expertise that we don't have, paving the way for further development that we anticipate."Proofread this:
Xinhua News reported that on September 21, 2019, China and the Solomon Islands signed the "Joint Communiqué on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between the People's Republic of China and the Solomon Islands." In October of the same year, the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding on the Belt and Road Initiative.?
In accordance with the official website of the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the Solomon Islands ,on November 24, 2022, the visa exemption agreement for diplomatic and official passports between the Solomon Islands and China was implemented, and several products have been exported to China with tax exemptions. This has greatly facilitated friendly economic and trade exchanges between the two countries.GDToday once mentioned in a report that in 2022, the bilateral trade volume between China and the Solomon Islands reached around 500 million U.S. dollars, a year-on-year increase of 3%, featuring fishery, infrastructure, tourism, and other sectors.
In 2023, coinciding with the tenth anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative and the fourth anniversary of China-Solomon Islands diplomatic relations, the relationship between the two countries has developed rapidly and fruitfully over the past four years. Xinhua News has reported that the two countries have strong economic complementarity, with China becoming the Solomon Islands' largest trading partner and export destination. The Solomon Islands has also become China's second-largest trading partner and source of imports among the South Pacific Island countries with diplomatic relations.
As a representative project of the China-Solomon Islands cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative, the National Stadium in the Solomon Islands has become the largest urban landmark. Huang Pengfei, the construction technology team leader of the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation, assisting the Solomon Islands in the stadium project for the 2023 Pacific Games, said, "The design of the National Stadium's canopy is inspired by the sailing boat, symbolizing the 'Boat of Friendship', which perfectly matches the oceanic characteristics of the Solomon Islands." Many Solomon Islanders come to the stadium to take photos and share them on social media, which demonstrates the sincere and profound friendship between the people from China and the Solomon Islands.
"China's focus on solving Solomon Islands' violence, building infrastructure, and economic transformative initiatives has changed the lives of local people," said Luke Mani, Director of the Solomon Islands Foreign Policy Advisory Secretariat, in an interview with GDToday.
Co-presented by GDToday and the School of Journalism and Communication, Jinan University
Author | Qiu Xianyi, Tan Ziyou, Huang Liying, Zhou Jing, Chen Yulin, Liu Enyan
Editor | Olivia Yang, Steven Yuen, Rofe Ding, James
