A shipment of candy from Jiangmen, Guangdong, has been distributed across the Republic of Nauru during a festival parade, the latest chapter in a connection between the Pacific island nation and the Pearl River Delta that stretches back more than a century.
The candy, donated by Jiangmen-based Amos Food Group, arrived in a full container for the island's traditional candy carnival, a custom in which sweets are handed out during holidays to share joy. Footage from the event, jointly organized by the Chinese Embassy in Nauru and the Nauruan government, showed children scrambling for falling candy and sending greetings to China.
Nauruan President David Adeang traces his ancestry to Zhonggu Village in Kaiping, a county-level city administered by Jiangmen. His great-grandfather left the village to work overseas generations ago. After the ancestral connection was confirmed, Adeang visited Jiangmen twice in recent years, most recently during the 2026 Chinese New Year, when he toured local factories, including the Amos candy plant, and cultural sites with his family.
Jiangmen authorities learned about Nauru's festival customs during the visit, and subsequently proposed a candy donation. What began as a diplomatic gesture sits within a broader pattern of small-scale, concrete cooperation between the city and the Pacific island country.
Along Nauru's ring road, nearly 500 solar-powered street lamps supplied by Jiangmen now light the coastal route after dusk, each pole bearing the markings "China" and "Guangdong Jiangmen." A soilless vegetable factory, funded by Jiangmen Agricultural Holding Group, produces lettuce and leafy greens grown in nutrient solutions and delivered directly to local supermarkets—an initiative aimed at improving access to fresh produce on the island.
In the education sector, several Nauruan students are currently enrolled at Wuyi University in Jiangmen, where they are studying Chinese and participating in cultural exchange programs. The city has also been involved in the China–Pacific Island Countries (PICs) Center for Disaster Risk Reduction Cooperation.
Jiangmen, known as the historic "Capital of Overseas Chinese" for its extensive diaspora, has sought to deepen ties with Pacific island nations.
Author | Feng Huiting
Photo | Yangcheng Evening News
