By Bill Jaynes
The Kaselehlie Press
September 21, 2026
HANGZHOU, CHINA — Pohnpei Governor Stevenson A. Joseph called for renewed cooperation between Pohnpei and China’s Zhejiang Province during a meeting that included discussions on food security, renewable energy, infrastructure, training, and transportation, according to a press release from the Pohnpei Governor’s Office.
Joseph met with Zhejiang Executive Vice Governor Xu Wenguang on the margins of the Trade Promotion Seminar for the Federated States of Micronesia in Hangzhou.
During the meeting, Joseph recalled a sister-state relationship established between Pohnpei and Zhejiang in 1997, when the late Pohnpei Governor Del Pangelinan signed a memorandum of understanding with the Chinese province. According to the release, Joseph said there had been no subsequent follow-up on the agreement and expressed interest in reviving the relationship.
“We hope to reinvigorate our relationship and find common areas to collaborate,” Joseph said. “We value the information and lessons learned from this seminar and will take them home to advance our economy.”
Joseph also discussed the FSM’s relationship with China, which established diplomatic relations in 1989, and potential areas for further cooperation.
“We are often referred to as small island nations, but we are a big ocean nation, the same size as the United States, with vast resources that we are only beginning to understand,” Joseph said.
Food security was among the areas Joseph identified for potential cooperation. He discussed Pohnpei’s reliance on imported food and efforts to increase local agriculture and aquaculture production.
“So, when the ship doesn’t come, there is no panic because we have all we need on our land,” Joseph said.
The Governor also identified sea cucumber and giant clam cultivation as possible areas for economic development and discussed challenges involving infrastructure, electricity, and transportation to Pohnpei’s outer islands.
According to the Governor’s Office, the Pohnpei delegation raised the need for a vessel to serve the outer islands. The release said the request was “acknowledged favorably” and would be pursued through diplomatic channels. It did not provide details about the type or cost of vessel sought or indicate that any commitment had been made.
Xu discussed additional training opportunities for Pohnpei and asked Joseph to prepare a list of areas in which assistance or training is needed, according to the release.
“There is no limit on the list,” Xu was quoted as saying.
The Governor’s Office said Xu also offered Chinese assistance in addressing Pohnpei’s energy needs, particularly through solar energy, although the release did not identify a specific project or funding commitment.
Xu spoke about China’s economic development and encouraged Pohnpei to make use of its natural resources and population in pursuing its own development goals. He also invited Joseph to return to Zhejiang.
Joseph, in turn, invited Xu to visit Pohnpei.
Joseph was accompanied at the meeting by Chief of Staff Patterson K. Shed, Department of Resources and Development Director Mark Kostka, Office of Fisheries and Aquaculture Administrator Jorg Anson, FSM Department of Foreign Affairs Deputy Assistant Secretary Kalvin Ehmes, and Public Affairs Officer Patrick Pedrus.
The meeting took place during the FSM state delegation’s participation in the trade promotion seminar in Zhejiang Province.
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