On the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic relations between China and Samoa, the official opening of Maritime Training and Marine Research Ocean Campus of National University of Samoa (NUS) was held on November 6, 2015 on the newly-built campus. His Honorable Prime Minister Tuilaepa, Chinese Ambassador Wang Xuefeng graced the ceremony. Over 500 people including Minister of Police, Minister of Transportation and other Cabinet ministers, members from diplomatic corps, Vice-Chancellor of NUS, faculties and students of School of Maritime Training and Marine Research, engineers and technicians of China Hunan Construction Corporation, diplomats from Economic and Commercial Department of Chinese Embassy as well as friends from media attended the ceremony.

Prime Minister Tuilaepa spoke highly of the Maritime Training and Marine Research Ocean Campus of NUS which is under the gratuitous aid of the Chinese government. He remarked that this project is an important milestone in the 31 years of development history of NUS and will exert far-reaching impact on the social and economic development of Samoa and the marine environment research. He also expressed sincere gratitude to the Chinese government and people on behalf of the Samoan government and people.

Ambassador Wang Xuefeng said that Samoa has the unique advantage in conducting research on maritime transport and ocean studies. With the opening of school of Maritime Training and Marine Research, faculties and students of Maritime Transport will have access to better teaching and training facilities and keep in line with international standards. Also, there will be better research and experiment facilities for faculties and students of Marine Research and Environment Research so that they will provide better support for Samoa to confront challenge of climate change.

Ambassador Wang remarked that In 2014, at the meeting with Prime Minister Tuilaepa and other Pacific island country leaders in Fij, China's President Xi Jinping stressed that China is willing to strengthen the cooperation with pacific island countries in such fields as economy and trade, agriculture and fishery, marine and energy resources and construction of infrastructure and provide support in dealing with climate change.he establishment the School of the Maritime Training and Marine Research of NUS is the implementation of the commitment by Chinese state leaders and an important measure to help island countries to turn resource advantage into development advantage and improve capacity in maintaining sustainable development.

Ambassador Wang Xuefeng pointed out that China is actively pushing forward the building of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road (hereinafter referred to as the Belt and Road). One route on the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road is from China's coastal ports to South Pacific Ocean via South Sea. The establishment of the School of Maritime Training and Marine Research of NUS lays a good foundation for the further cooperation between our two countries in economy and trade, marine and infrastructure construction. It can be also considered an early result of the joint effort by China and Samoa in the building of Maritime Silk Road.

Ambassador Wang Xuefeng expressed his best wishes to the School of Maritime Training and Marine Research for turning out more and more high quality graduates and making more achievement in marine research.

Prime Minister Tuilaepa and Ambassador Wang Xuefeng jointly unveiled the plaque and cut the ribbon for the Maritime Training and Marine Research Ocean Campus of NUS and visited the facilities on campus with other guests. Students sang and danced joyfully in expressing their gratitude and respect for the Chinese government and people.

"Samoa Observer"and other medias had in-depth press coverage of the ceremony in the context of the grand celebration of the 40th anniversary of the establishment of China-Samoa diplomatic relations.