Sialeataonga Tuivakano, speaker of the Legislative Assembly of the Kingdom of Tonga, and the nation's former prime minister, discuss with officials at the Zhejiang Ocean University opportunities for cooperation in education. [Photo/ zj.zjol.com]

A delegation led by Sialeataonga Tuivakano, speaker of the Legislative Assembly of the Kingdom of Tonga, an island country in Oceania, and the nation's former prime minister, recently visited the Zhejiang Ocean University in Zhoushan, Zhejiang province, to discuss cooperation opportunities in education. 

Liu Hongming, Party chief of the university, expressed a willingness to strengthen cooperation with Tonga in the running of schools, following an introduction to the university's achievements in discipline development, talent nurturing and scientific research in recent years. 

"We will step up efforts in building a Sino-Tonga Ocean University and a Sino-Tonga Ocean Research Institute with the Kingdom of Tonga, to help Tonga to cultivate more professional sailors and fishermen and better tap their marine resources," said Liu.

Tuivakano thanked the university for the support it offered to Tonga and promised to fully implement the proposals they made for deepening mutual cooperation. 

"As the Sino-Tonga partnership turns increasingly closer under the construction of the Belt and Road Initiative, our pragmatic cooperation with Zhejiang Ocean University in education and culture will hopefully contribute a lot to the development of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road," said Tuivakano.