Lan Fo'an (right), Party chief of North China's Shanxi province, meets with Kiribati's Vice-President Teuea Toatu (left), in Taiyuan on Sept 5. [Photo/Shanxi Daily] 

Lan Fo'an, Party chief of North China's Shanxi province, met with Kiribati's Vice-President Teuea Toatu and his wife Brucetta Toatu, in Taiyuan on Sept 5, discussing strengthening practical cooperation and fostering closer communication between the two sides.

Lan extended a warm welcome to Teuea Toatu for attending the upcoming 2023 Taiyuan Energy Low Carbon Development Forum on Sept 6-8. On behalf of the provincial authority, he also expressed his greetings and well wishes to the people of Kiribati. Additionally, Lan provided an introduction to the historical, cultural, and socio-economic development of Shanxi. 

He was optimistic that Teuea Toatu's presence at the forum would serve as a new starting point towards enhancing extensive exchanges and cooperation between Shanxi and Kiribati in the fields of economy, trade, investment, tourism, education, healthcare, and climate change. This would contribute to strengthening the partnership between China and Pacific island countries. 

Teuea Toatu highly praised the remarkable achievements of Shanxi's economic and social development. He wished for a successful forum and briefly introduced the situation in Kiribati. 

He noted that since the resumption of diplomatic relations between Kiribati and China in 2019, both sides have seen vigorous exchanges and cooperation in different fields. The forum will provide a suitable platform for facilitating deeper communication and more vital collaboration between Kiribati and Shanxi.