Beijing spends billions on projects to boost ties as Britain closes string of high commissions
The Union Jack has been lowered for the last time in Tonga, leaving Beijing as a dominant power in the Pacific.
The high commission's closure in the capital, Nuku'alofa, brings to an end a British presence in the Polynesian country dating back to the 1830s.
In the past year, London has also closed its high commissions in Kiribati, a former British colony known as the Gilbert Islands, and Vanuatu. As the British pull out of a region they have dominated since the voyages of Captain Cook more than 230 years ago, China is emerging as a new regional force.
In an unprecedented visit, Premier Wen Jiabao this week leads a 200-member delegation to a trade summit with six South Pacific countries as part of a wider tour to Australia, New Zealand and Cambodia.
The forum in Nadi, Fiji, is expected to yield several political and commercial agreements aimed at opening up the region to influence from the mainland.
China has nine diplomatic missions in the South Pacific - the largest number of any country - and is spending billions of dollars on infrastructure projects to bolster bilateral ties.