Tonga and China held a signing ceremony on Friday for construction equipment that will be used to build infrastructure in the tsunami-hit Pacific island, a day before the top U.S. diplomat arrives in the region to discuss development aid.
Tonga is in lockdown as it experiences it first COVID-19 outbreak, which has grown to 66 cases. Two Chinese navy ships carrying tsunami aid will reach Tonga next week.
A handover ceremony for more than 110 pieces of machinery including bulldozers, trucks and excavators dispatched from China before last month's volcanic eruption and tsunami was held on Friday. The equipment is a gift from by Beijing.
