Tonga’s Prime Minister is seeking a diplomatic reset with the United States, following a U.S travel ban on Tongans.
Lord Fakafanua has invited the U-S Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau to visit the Kingdom after Washington halted new visitor and student visas.
He said Tonga was collateral damage in a change of U.S policy, and a high‑level visit would help repair and reset ties.
“On the back of an investment forum the United States was hosting in Hawaii, I reciprocated the invitation for him to visit Tonga,” he said.
Meanwhile, Tonga’s Kolofoʻou District and the City of East Palo Alto in California have formalised a sister city relationship in a move supporters say will strengthen cultural, educational and economic ties between the two communities.
The Memorandum of Intent was signed in a virtual ceremony connecting representatives in Nuku’alofa and the United States. The agreement marks what officials described as a milestone in people-to-people diplomacy between Tonga and an American city.
Crown Princess Sinaitakala Tukuʻaho joined East Palo Alto Mayor Webster Lincoln, former Mayor Martha Barragan and District Officer Alotaisi Takau to endorse the partnership, witnessed by community leaders and diplomats.
Chargé d’Affaires Devon Brown of the U.S Embassy in Tonga said the initiative opens opportunities for cultural and youth exchanges, collaboration on governance and innovation, and shared work on climate resilience and disaster risk management.
Brown noted that trade, tourism and entrepreneurship could also benefit as the relationship deepens.
The roots of the partnership trace back to humanitarian support following the 2022 Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha’apai volcanic eruption and tsunami, when East Palo Alto’s community sent substantial aid to Tonga’s Kolofoʻou District.
Sister city arrangements are a long-standing form of civic diplomacy aimed at fostering international friendship through education, cultural events and municipal cooperation. They are part of broader efforts by the United States and its partners to deepen ties with Pacific island countries.
Local groups in both Tonga and East Palo Alto have welcomed the pact as a vehicle for greater mutual understanding and future exchanges.
Officials say practical programmes under the agreement will be developed in the coming months such as youth and cultural initiatives that reflect shared values and histories.
