China’s gift causes big trouble for tiny Tonga

By Nick Perry

Published June 24, 2014 4:23pm ET

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China’s gift causes big trouble for tiny Tonga — In this Wednesday, June 4, 2014 photo, fisher folk work on in shallow waters, near Nuku'alofa, Tonga. New Zealand tourists attracted by the country's beauty have been staying away due to a dispute over the safety of a plane built in China. The dispute represents a small skirmish in a broader battle for global influence. (AP Photo/Nick Perry) | Nick Perry

NUKU’ALOFA, Tonga (AP) — It’s almost 10 a.m., but the barista at this tiny Pacific kingdom’s domestic air terminal has yet to make a single cup of coffee.

Molly Fatai says her wages at the cafe have been cut by a third since last year. Flights leaving for Tonga’s outer islands have been halved to two or three per day, except for Sundays, when there are no flights at all.

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