China-aided road upgrading project in Niue handed over

ALOFI, Niue, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- The China-aided roundabout road upgrading project in Niue undertaken by the China Railway First Group Co., Ltd. has been handed over to the South Pacific island country.

Attending the handover ceremony on Monday were more than 70 people including Niue Prime Minister Dalton Tagelagi, Minister of Finance and Infrastructure Crossley Tatui, Chinese Ambassador to New Zealand, the Cook Islands and Niue Wang Xiaolong, Niue government officials and representatives.

In his speech, Tagelagi expressed his gratitude to the project's all workers. He hoped that Niue and China would further strengthen cooperation and exchanges for a constant development of bilateral ties, jointly promoting prosperity and stability for both countries and the region.

Niue's finance and infrastructure minister Tatui praised the newly built highway as "flat, safe, reliable and convenient", which he said "allows for swift response to national and everyday events."

On behalf of the Chinese government, Ambassador Wang congratulated both sides on the completion of the highway project and the smooth handover.

"Since the establishment of diplomatic ties, on the basis of mutual respect and common development, China and Niue have worked jointly to set a good example of cooperation between countries of different sizes," said Wang.

The completed highway is 46.1 kilometers long and the project involved road surface repair, upgrade of the main line and internal connecting line of the roundabout road, and the addition of traffic safety facilities, parking lots, sidewalks and lighting in some sections, according to the China Railway First Group.■