Li Qinghua of the Chinese Embassy in Solomon Islands and
West Makira Constituency Development Officer Selwyn Aharo
cut the ribbon to officially launch and hand over the
project, as MRD Permanent Secretary John Misite’e,
officials, and beneficiary representatives look on
(Photo/Supplied)
The People’s
Republic of China (PRC), in partnership with the Ministry of
Rural Development (MRD), delivered a maritime transportation
project worth $1.5 million to West Makira Constituency (WMC)
on 4 September 2026.
Funded through the PRC’s Rural
Sustainable Development Program (RSDP) and implemented by
MRD, the project supplies 17 fibreglass boats and 18
outboard motor engines (nine 40hp and nine 30hp
units).
The project intended to strengthen key
development sectors including health, education, fisheries
and agriculture, while easing transportation challenges for
remote maritime communities.
The assets were received
by West Makira’s Constituency Development Officer (CDO),
Selwyn Aharo, on behalf of the Member of Parliament for WMC,
Minister Derrick Manu’ari, and the constituency’s
beneficiaries from Counsellor Li Qinghua, representative of
the Chinese Embassy in Solomon Islands.
Speaking on
behalf of Hon. Minister Manu’ari, who was unable to attend
due to national duties, CDO Aharo described the handover as
one of the constituency’s most significant development
milestones, with benefits expected to ripple through the
health, education, fisheries and agriculture
sectors.
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“This project is a physical reality that will
immediately transform livelihoods, enhance rural health
delivery, support educational mobility, and boost our local
economic sectors,” he said.
Mr Aharo thanked the PRC
government and people, as well as the Solomon Islands
Government through MRD, for facilitating the
support.
“By funding the RSDP, you have listened to
the cries of our rural communities and targeted the exact
areas that drive rural life: healthcare access, educational
support, sustainable fisheries, and agriculture,” he
said.
He explained that the funding has enabled the
constituency office to procure transport and logistics
assets deployed across four community pillars. Beneficiaries
include Aringana, Ubuna, Waikaha, Apaoro and Maetawa health
clinics; Tawatana, Haura and Sogotiwa Community High Schools
and eight families involved in fishery and agriculture
associations.
Mr Aharo said, the boats and engines
will allow medical staff to carry out emergency referrals,
transfer critical patients, and conduct outreach more
effectively.
“Schools will be better equipped for
student transport, administrative operations and the
delivery of educational supplies. For fisheries and
agriculture, the assets will enable fishermen to reach
deeper waters safely and transport their catch to market,
while farmers gain improved means to move tools, crops and
produces, strengthening food security and local
trade.”
CDO Aharo also acknowledged MRD for its
technical oversight and policy direction in ensuring rural
development funds reach grassroots recipients, and called on
all recipient groups to treat the equipment as communal
assets requiring responsible maintenance.
He
reaffirmed the constituency’s commitment to Minister
Manu’ari’s vision of a self-reliant, healthy and
economically vibrant West Makira, describing the $1.5
million investment as a catalyst for unity and continued
growth.
The West Makira Constituency Office extended
its thanks to the PRC, MRD, and congratulated all recipient
groups on the successful handover.
Counsellor Li
Qinghua congratulated the constituency office and
beneficiary institutions, describing the event significant
in meaning.
“Today’s ceremony is another tangible
symbol of the enduring friendship and deepening cooperation
between our two countries,” she said.
Ms Li noted that
China and Solomon Islands have been top trade partners since
establishing diplomatic relations in 2019, with total trade
exceeding US$4.2 billion — including over US$2.7 billion
in Solomon Islands exports to China, resulting in a trade
surplus of more than US$1200 million for Solomon
Islands.
She also pointed to the two countries’
cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative and in the
medical sector, noting that the China-donated Comprehensive
Medical Centre (CMC) has treated more than 15,000 patients
since opening, including several breakthrough
surgeries.
Reflecting on China’s broader philosophy of
international partnership, Li said: “The 190 countries and
regions in the world — we are not in separate boats; we
are on one huge boat, so we should work together for the
shard future.”
She added that RSDP’s implementation
prioritises community safety and ensuring maximum benefit
reaches the people of West Makira.
She described RSDP
as one of China’s “small yet smart” projects supporting
Solomon Islands’ socio-economic development, and reiterated
the handover as further evidence of practical cooperation
strengthening bilateral ties.
The programme’s core
purpose, she said, is to improve the country’s social and
economic development, alongside China’s commitment to
capacity-building and knowledge transfer.
Li also
highlighted China’s success in lifting 800 million people
out of poverty by the end of 2020, expressing hope to share
that experience with Solomon Islands.
“This experience
of China’s poverty alleviation is so fresh because it is
only six years ago. So, we would like to share this
experience with Solomon Islands, because sharing is caring.
We would like to work together for a better world, for a
better future for our next generation,” she
said.
Speaking on behalf of the government, Permanent
Secretary of MRD John Misite’e acknowledged the PRC’s
sustained commitment to RSDP and to improving the lives of
Solomon Islanders, as well as the trust placed in MRD to
implement the programme.
“This delivery is an
achievement resulting from the national government’s
partnership with PRC, facilitated by the provision of
resources through the RSDP programme to support the rural
development policies of the Solomon Islands Government,” he
said.
“On behalf of the Government, I would like to
acknowledge PRC for the ongoing support toward RSDP and the
government. This programme is a testament of the friendship
between the two governments.”
Misite’e also commended
Minister Manu’ari for his leadership and continued support
of rural development policies within his
constituency.
The ceremony brought together
representatives from the Chinese Embassy, MRD officials,
community leaders, chiefs, church elders and recipient
representatives from clinics, schools, and fishery and
agricultural groups across the constituency.
The RSDP
is a partnership between the PRC and the Solomon Islands
Government, implemented jointly by MRD and the Chinese
Embassy since 2023 on a proposal-based model. It aligns with
China’s Global Development Initiative, including the Belt
and Road Initiative, and supports Solomon Islands’ National
Development Strategy (NDS) 2016–2035.
RSDP primarily
targets rural and semi-urban communities, aiming to
strengthen social and economic infrastructure, promote
income-generating activities, and address food security and
climate resilience. Other constituencies have received
similar support under RSDP Phase
2.
