SAMOA STRENGTHENS POLICE AND PUBLIC SECURITY COOPERATION WITH CHINA / Samoa Embassy Beijing / By Gabrielle H.E. Ambassador Luamanuvae Albert Mariner led Samoa’s delegation to the 5th Ministerial Dialogue on Police Capacity Building and Cooperation between China and Pacific Island Countries, held in Beijing on 8 September 2026. The 5th Ministerial Meeting was followed by the 2026 Conference of the Global Public Security Cooperation Forum (Lianyungang) in Jiangsu Province. The delegation included Deputy Commissioner of Police, Mr. Soloi Iosefa, Superintendent Mr. Muliagatele Tavete Tusani of the Ministry of Police, Prisons and Corrections, and Ms. Elizabeth Lameta, First Secretary of the Embassy of Samoa in Beijing. Also participating in the 5th Ministerial Dialogue were four Samoa Police officers undertaking a capacity-building programme under the China-Pacific Island Countries Police Training Cooperation Platform. The 5th Ministerial Dialogue was chaired by H.E. Mr. Wang Xiaohong, China’s State Councilor and Minister of Public Security. Ambassador Mariner during his remarks at the meeting welcomed China’s continued support for police capacity building in Samoa and the Pacific, including financial assistance towards the construction of Samoa’s Police Training Academy. Ambassador Mariner highlighted the growing challenges posed by transnational organized crime, illicit drugs, cybercrime, financial crime, illegal fishing and human trafficking across the Pacific. Samoa’s efforts to strengthen its national response to the growing threat of methamphetamine and the need for enhanced border controls, with development partner’s required support to policing resources and professional training. The Ministerial Dialogue also reaffirmed the value of sustained ministerial-level engagement between China and Pacific Island countries in strengthening police capacity building and cooperation. Discussions highlighted the importance of translating dialogue into practical cooperation, including continued training and professional exchanges, closer law enforcement collaboration, and greater information and experience sharing to support regional stability and development. China’s State Councilor and Minister of Public Security, H.E. Mr. Wang Xiaohong, noted China’s willingness to work with Pacific Island countries to deepen the ministerial dialogue mechanism and achieve further practical results. He also highlighted the progress made through training and exchanges and closer cooperation between police authorities since the establishment of the mechanism. Following the Ministerial Dialogue, Samoa’s delegation participated in the 2026 Conference of the Global Public Security Cooperation Forum in Lianyungang, including the Sub-Forum on International Drug Control Cooperation and the Sub-Forum on Public Security Technology and Equipment. The discussions in Lianyungang addressed emerging challenges associated with synthetic drugs and transnational organized crime, and the importance of stronger international cooperation, intelligence sharing and coordinated approaches to drug control. The closing remarks emphasized the importance of shared responsibility, intelligence and information exchange, experience sharing and practical international cooperation to strengthen responses to emerging public security and drug control challenges.
