Pacific island lawmakers tour Yunnan to study rural vitalization, ecology

More than 40 lawmakers from 10 Pacific island nations visited Yunnan province from Saturday to Monday as part of a tour through China, which began on July 21 with a seminar in Beijing.

They toured urban communities, villages, enterprises, planning exhibition halls, and a world natural heritage museum in Kunming and Yuxi, to learn about the southwestern province's experiences in rural vitalization, industrial development, urban and rural planning, and ecological conservation.

"Here in Yunnan, we see clearly how you are serving as the gateway connecting China to Southeast Asia and South Asia — a powerful living example of development through connectivity, cooperation, and shared prosperity," said Patteson Oti, speaker of the National Parliament of Solomon Islands.