China pledges Tonga fresh investment as debt repayment looms large

China's President Xi Jinping pledged fresh investment in the South Pacific island nation of Tonga in a meeting with King Tupou VI in Beijing on Tuesday, as China works to deepen its influence across the Asia-Pacific region.



Home to around 108,000 people, Tonga is one of several small Pacific island states at the centre of an intensifying contest for influence between China and Western nations, including Australia and the United States, due to their strategic location in the South Pacific, U.N. votes and seabed mineral resources.



"China and Tonga are true friends who have stood together through thick and thin," Xi told Tupou during their meeting at Beijing's Great Hall of the People.

"No matter how the international situation changes, China will continue to support Tonga in safeguarding its national independence and sovereignty," he said.



Tonga is heavily indebted to China's EXIM bank, still paying off construction loans taken out two decades ago. It has sought Australia's help to secure a restructuring from Beijing and has looked to Canberra and Washington for aid to strengthen resilience to climate disasters and fund infrastructure.