On April 20, Jacques Himford, Consul General of Vanuatu in Guangzhou, visited Hainan, where he was received by the Foreign Affairs Office of Hainan Province. Shang Jing, Deputy Director-General of the Foreign Affairs Office, held a working discussion with Himford, exchanging in-depth views on strengthening friendly exchanges and cooperation between Hainan and Vanuatu.

Shang warmly welcomed Himford and his team to Hainan and briefed them on the development of the Hainan Free Trade Port since the launch of special customs operations in December 2025.

She noted that since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Vanuatu 44 years ago, practical cooperation in various fields has continued to deepen. In particular, in July 2024, then-Prime Minister of Vanuatu Charlot Salwai visited China, and the leaders of both countries agreed to enhance their comprehensive strategic partnership and to build a China-Vanuatu community with a shared future in the new era.

Hainan and Vanuatu are both tropical island regions with very similar natural environments and resource endowments. Shang stated that Hainan is willing to collaborate closely with Vanuatu in areas such as tropical agriculture, marine fisheries, tourism, and local government exchanges. Building on Consul General Himford's visit to Hainan, the province will deepen mutual understanding and explore mutually beneficial opportunities for cooperation.

Himford expressed heartfelt gratitude to the Foreign Affairs Office for their warm reception. He noted that Vanuatu and Hainan share many similarities and emphasized that the Consulate General of Vanuatu in Guangzhou has been committed to promoting friendly exchanges and practical cooperation between the two sides across various fields.

Highlighting Vanuatu's wealth of fisheries and tourism resources, he stated that the country looks forward to strengthening ties with Hainan. Through personnel training, technical exchanges, corporate investments, local government exchanges, and other means, it aims to enhance practical cooperation in tropical agriculture, deep-sea fisheries, tourism, and connectivity. To this end, he expressed that the Consulate General of Vanuatu in Guangzhou is willing to continue serving as a bridge and actively contribute to closer exchanges between the two regions.

Vanuatu is an island nation located in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, with a land area of 12,200 square kilometers and a population of approximately 320,000. It was one of the first Pacific island countries to sign a cooperation plan with China under the Belt and Road Initiative.