On 5 August 2026, Comendador Anthony Bailey, Hon Consul-General of His Majesty The King of Tonga to the Portuguese Republic, paid a courtesy call on H.E. Yang Yirui, Ambassador of the People\u2019s Republic of China to the Portuguese Republic, at the Chinese Embassy in Lisbon.<\/p>\n
Ambassador Yang assumed his duties in Portugal at the end of 2025 and presented his Letters of Credence to the President of the Portuguese Republic on 12 January 2026.<\/p>\n
The meeting provided an opportunity to discuss the longstanding and increasingly close relationship between the Kingdom of Tonga and the People\u2019s Republic of China, developments in the Pacific region and opportunities for continuing dialogue between the Consulate-General and the Chinese Embassy in Portugal.<\/p>\n
Tonga and China established diplomatic relations at ambassadorial level on 2 November 1998. The relationship has since developed into a comprehensive strategic partnership. China maintains a resident Embassy in Nuku\u02bbalofa, while Tonga has maintained a resident Embassy in Beijing since 1 April 2005.<\/p>\n
Relations have been characterised by regular exchanges at the highest levels. HM King T\u0101ufa\u02bb\u0101hau Tupou IV and HM Queen Halaevalu Mata\u02bbaho of Tonga met HE President Hu Jintao of China in Beijing in October 2004, while HM King George Tupou V held talks with President Hu during his visit to China in April 2008.<\/p>\n
HM King Tupou VI has played a particularly important role in the bilateral relationship. As Tonga\u2019s then Foreign and Defence Minister, he was involved in the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1998. As King, he paid a State Visit to China from 28 February to 8 March 2018, holding talks with President Xi Jinping and meeting Premier Li Keqiang.<\/p>\n
Most recently, Their Majesties King Tupou VI and Queen Nanasipau\u02bbu paid a State Visit to China from 21 to 27 November 2025 at the invitation of President Xi Jinping. Their Majesties were formally welcomed by President Xi and Madame Peng Liyuan at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, where the King and President held talks and witnessed the signing of cooperation documents covering areas including economic and trade cooperation, healthcare, education and development. The visit also included Fujian and Shaanxi and was the King\u2019s second State Visit to China in seven years.<\/p>\n
High-level governmental contacts have been similarly extensive. Chinese Presidents, Premiers, Foreign Ministers and other senior officials have maintained regular dialogue with the Tongan Royal Family and successive Tongan governments. Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited Nuku\u02bbalofa in May 2022, where he met then Prime Minister Hon. Hu\u02bbakavameiliku Siaosi Sovaleni. On 28 May 2025, Foreign Minister Wang Yi also met HRH Crown Prince Tupouto\u02bba \u02bbUlukalala, Tonga\u2019s Minister for His Majesty’d Diplomatic Services\u00a0, in Xiamen during the Third China-Pacific Island Countries Foreign Ministers\u2019 Meeting.<\/p>\n
China has provided substantial development assistance and technical cooperation to Tonga over many years. Cooperation encompasses infrastructure, agriculture and fisheries, healthcare, education and scholarships, clean energy, disaster relief, climate resilience and capacity building. Chinese agricultural experts have worked in Tonga for many years, while Chinese medical teams have served in the Kingdom since 2018. China also provided emergency and reconstruction assistance following the devastating Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha\u02bbapai volcanic eruption and tsunami in 2022.<\/p>\n
Cooperation has continued to expand following the 2025 State Visit, including in education, healthcare, economic development and people-to-people exchanges, reflecting the breadth of the contemporary relationship between the two countries.<\/p>\n
The courtesy call in Lisbon on 5 August 2026 therefore provided a timely opportunity, following Their Majesties\u2019 recent State Visit to China, to recognise the close relationship between the Kingdom of Tonga and the People\u2019s Republic of China and to strengthen contact between the Consulate-General and the Embassy of China in Portugal.<\/p>\n
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