China insists Tonga loans come with ‘no political strings attached’

Ambassador rejects debt trap' concerns, saying heavily indebted Pacific nation will not be forced to pay back loans

China's ambassador to Tonga has denied engaging in debt trap" diplomacy in the Pacific, saying in his first press conference in two years that if the heavily indebted country cannot repay its loans, we can talk and negotiate in a friendly, diplomatic manner".

Cao Xiaolin told Tuesday's gathering in Nuku'alofa - a rare opportunity for journalists to question Chinese officials - that preferential loans from China came with no political strings attached" and that Beijing would never force countries to repay the loans.