On July 14, Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao met with Rick Houenipwela, Minister for Foreign Affairs and External Trade of the Solomon Islands. The two sides had friendly exchanges on China-Solomon Islands economic and trade relations.

Wang Wentao said that since the establishment of diplomatic relations seven years ago, bilateral economic and trade relations between China and the Solomon Islands have maintained sound and steady development, with fruitful outcomes in exchanges and cooperation across various fields. China is ready to work with the Solomon Islands to continue expanding the areas of mutually beneficial economic and trade cooperation and achieving new progress in the China-Solomon Islands comprehensive strategic partnership for the new era.

Rick Houenipwela said that bilateral relations have been continuously developing and upgrading since the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two sides. The Solomon Islands expressed gratitude to China for its valuable support to the country’s economic and social development, and looks forward to further deepening cooperation with China across various fields to better benefit the peoples of both countries.

After the meeting, Wang Wentao and Rick Houenipwela jointly signed the Framework Agreement on Enhanced Economic Partnership. The two sides will conduct flexible and pragmatic negotiations under this agreement and reach mutually beneficial institutional arrangements for expanding bilateral trade, investment, and practical cooperation, so as to better promote regional cooperation on industrial and supply chains and bring China-Solomon Islands economic and trade relations to a new level. (Released on July 15)