When the Solomon Government offered to host the Pacific Games 2023, the Chinese helped build their Sports facilities.
The Chinese also gave similar assistance for the 2007 and 2019 Games hosted in Samoa.
Sports have now become a source of employment for many Pacific Islands Youths ever since sports have turned professional from what they used to be, a leisure activity.
Rather than condemning small Pacific Islands who have turned to China for help, Donor Partners should also consider expanding the cover of their Aid Programs to include the building of Sports facilities.
Assistance is given on the basis of the requests made by the Aid recipient governments.
And to view such help as a political ploy to garner greater political influence in the Pacific, is a deliberate attempt to confuse the initiative for the help that lies with the receiver not the giver.
Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi
Leader of HRPP