Charles welcomed in Samoa with traditional tea ceremony and ‘high chief’ title – live

The Polynesian country of Samoa is highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change including tropical cyclones and storm surges, flooding, and more severe and longer-lasting droughts like other Small Island Developing States.

Moata’a village was chosen to welcome the royals after the area was badly affected by flooding in 2018 and in response the community’s council developed a plan for future natural disasters and has established a mangrove conservation area which the King visited.

Moata’a village chief Tofaeono Lupati Fuatai said: “The King is the perfect advocate for us as a nation. Climate change is real, it is now and we must urge the world to acknowledge how perilous it is for nations such as ours.”

Britain cannot afford to be “protectionist” as it attempts to boost growth, Sir Keir Starmer has warned, as he seeks to tap into the Commonwealth’s 19 trillion US dollar “economic heft”.

The prime minister is set to arrive in Samoa as the clock turns midnight on Thursday UK time for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (Chogm).

His arrival comes amid a row about reparations for the UK’s historical role in the trans-Atlantic slave trade, but Sir Keir has insisted the Commonwealth needs to face forward, not look backward.

Sir Keir will make history as the first UK prime minister to have visited a Pacific island nation, and will be in the company of King Charles, the head of the Commonwealth, during the gathering.

The King was dressed Samoan-style for a day of ceremonies welcoming him and the Queen to the island nation for a state visit.

Charles swapped his trademark tailored suit for a short-sleeved white jacket and trousers he designed himself as he was honoured with a new title, sipped a symbolic drink and was presented with a pig for feasting.

Samoa’s head of state and his village afforded the King the highest accolade by staging an ava ceremony where the drink, prepared by the statesman’s daughter from powdered ava root and representing community unity, was presented to Charles.

The ceremony was held at the National University of Samoa, in a falesamoa, a large open-air covered hall made from huge timbers and guarded by a ring of malosi ole nuu, bare-chested orators armed with sticks of their office and wearing sarongs and garlands.

A growing call for reparations for transatlantic slavery is set to take centre stage at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (Chogm), with several Caribbean nations and the African Union leading the charge.

Despite this rising movement, British prime minister Sir Keir Starmer stated that the UK would not raise the issue of reparations during the summit.

However, he expressed openness to engage in dialogue with leaders who wish to discuss the matter.

The Caribbean Community (Caricom) has established a commission aimed at securing reparations from former colonial powers, including the UK, France, and Portugal. Advocates argue that the enduring legacy of slavery has contributed to significant racial inequalities that persist to this day.

Opponents, on the other hand, claim that modern nations should not be held accountable for historical wrongs committed centuries ago.

A source from Caricom highlighted the significance of the summit for raising the issue in an interview with Reuters, noting, “Chogm presents an important opportunity for dialogue on reparations, and the region is keen to table it.”

Kingsley Abbott, director of the University of London’s Institute of Commonwealth Studies, echoed this sentiment, saying, “It is a priority for many of the Commonwealth’s member countries, and whenever those affected by atrocities ask to talk, there should always be a willingness to sit down and listen.”

The history of the transatlantic slave trade remains a deeply painful chapter for millions of descendants across the globe. Between the 15th and 19th centuries, an estimated 12.5 million Africans were forcibly taken from their homeland, with many enduring the harrowing Middle Passage. Those who survived were subjected to harsh, inhumane conditions, primarily on plantations in the Caribbean and the Americas, enriching European empires at their expense.

The leaders of the Commonwealth group of nations will meet at a welcome banquet in Samoa in the South Pacific today, with climate change and reparations for Britain’s role in the transatlantic slave trade on the agenda of summit discussions.

Leaders and officials from 56 countries with roots in Britain’s empire, as well as King Charles, are attending the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (Chogm) in the small island nation, that began on Monday. The countries’ foreign ministers also began a day of discussions today.

More than half of the Commonwealth’s members are small states, many of which are low-lying island nations at risk from rising sea levels due to climate change.

United Nations secretary-general Antonio Guterres has said ocean temperatures are rising in the Pacific Islands at three times the rate worldwide, and its population is “uniquely exposed” to the impact of rising sea levels.

“Climate change is an is an existential threat. It is the number one national security threat. It is the number one economic threat to the peoples of the Pacific and to many members of the Commonwealth,” Australian foreign minister Penny Wong told a news conference after a meeting with counterparts.

A number of African countries, including Zambia, warned the meeting about the escalating impacts of climate change, including the effects on food security, she added.

Charles will also be shown the impact of rising sea levels which are forcing people to move inland, a Samoan chief said. Island leaders are expected to issue a declaration on ocean protection at the summit, with climate change being a central topic of discussion.