As leader of the Government of Samoa，I am very happy that Dr.Shi Yingli，who was a volunteer teacher from China for three years teaching at some of our local colleges，requested a small contribution on my part to write a foreword for a book she has written on her experiences while working in Samoa. This was indeed a great honour for me as one small sure way to express my own gratitude and the thanks of the parents of Samoa whose sons and daughters were being taught by this great citizen of China. To me，as the servant of our people of Samoa，Dr.Shi Yingli was a true ambassador for China. By this voluntary service，the government of China also reaps the very positive feelings of sympathy and love that remain in the minds of the recipient families for generations to come. For a very small country like Samoa，any good deed lingers on in our memory.

Samoa became independent in 1962. In 2012，Samoa celebrated its 50 years of independence. The United Nations issued its publication and congratulated our government and people of Samoa as the first former trust territory of the United Nations to have successfully achieved its 50 Years Jubilee. It was after the Samoan leaders guided our Independent State peacefully in its early years of nationhood that the United Nations decided to grant independence to grant independence to other countries like Fiji and Papua New Guinea in the Pacific and the rest of the States waiting in other parts of the world.

Samoa remains the most stable and peaceful nation in the South Pacific. Samoa has a very strong living culture based on its own customs and traditions under the very able watchful guidance of our village chiefs who maintain law and order，peace and good behaviour in the rural village communities every day. There is therefore no need to have a huge police force to enforce the law for the decisions of the village chiefs are immediate and often more respected because the chiefs as elders of the villagers are always there in the village all the time.

Samoa is also a deeply religious country. Our Constitution protects the freedom of Religion but most Samoans are Christians in different denominations like Catholics，Anglicans，and Congregationalists where the most important of the Christian teachings are based on “love of one’s neighbours and love and forgiveness of one’s enemies”- the heart of the Christians’ faith and belief throughout the world. Samoans always try to follow their Christian Beliefs-but we also in the world where both evil and goodness exist side by side.

We welcome visitors to our shores. And we are most grateful to all those friendly governments who help us in our time of need. We want all our friends to know that we value their friendship. And to understand that their friends are also our friends；and their enemies are not out enemies. For true Christians should never have any enemies.

Tuila’epa Sa’ilele Malielegaoi

Prime Minister of The Independent State of Samoa

Apia，Samoa

26 October 2018