A Tonga government delegation is travelling to China this week for negotiations on the deferral of a huge loan.
Tonga received a 60 million US dollar loan from China to pay for the rebuilding of Nuku'alofa after riots in 2006.
Repayments were due to start in September and would have put significant strain on an already struggling Tongan economy.
China allowed a deferral but both countries are still to agree on a date for when payments might resume.
The Finance Minister, Lisiate Akolo, says these matters will be a focus of this week's meeting.
