SUVA, April 17 (Xinhua) -- The 2026 China-Pacific Island Countries Climate Action Cooperation and Exchange Week has been launched in Suva, the capital of Fiji, with the aim of promoting cooperation between China and Pacific island countries (PICs) in the fields of climate change and green and low-carbon development, and enhancing people-to-people exchanges.
While addressing the launching ceremony on Thursday night, Sivendra Michael, permanent secretary for Fiji's Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, thanked China for its commitments in supporting climate cooperation, the rollout of small and targeted projects, investment in low-carbon initiatives and early warning systems.
"These are aligned to what we actually need on the ground," Michael said, adding that he looks forward to more practical cooperation between the two sides to drive the island nations' economic development while taking climate action.
Wang Yuan, chargé d'affaires a.i. of the Chinese Embassy in Fiji, said that given the growing urgency of the global climate and energy crises, proactively addressing climate change and driving a green and low-carbon transition should become a broad international consensus.
Four years ago, the China-PICs Climate Action Cooperation Center was established in Liaocheng, which is committed to deepening exchanges, enhancing people-to-people friendship, providing livelihood assistance and promoting pragmatic collaboration between the two sides, said Zhang Baishun, mayor of Liaocheng city in east China's Shandong Province.
"In the future, we will set up a stage for youth exchanges to promote practical technologies such as photovoltaic and smart agriculture. We are willing to join hands with island countries in areas such as disaster prevention and mitigation, ecological restoration, and renewable energy to provide more assistance within our capacity," the mayor added.
Jointly sponsored by the China-PICs Climate Action Cooperation Center, the Foreign Affairs Office of Shandong Provincial government, Liaocheng municipal government and Liaocheng University, the event will visit Fiji, Vanuatu and Solomon Islands.
During the event, the organizers also announced the establishment of the PICs Climate Change Adaptation Technology Innovation Center, which will precisely align the needs of PICs in addressing climate change with the industrial structure and scientific research capabilities of Shandong Province.
The center will focus on research and development and commercialization of low-cost and user-friendly technologies, striving to achieve practical application of those technologies in Pacific island countries. ■
