Fijian Prime Minister starts 10-day visit to China
2024-08-12
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[Global Times special correspondent in Australia Da Qiao, Global Times reporter Xu Keyue] According to the Fiji Times on August 11, Prime Minister Sitiweni Rambuka of the Republic of Fiji will pay an official visit to China for 10 days from August 12 to 21.
Prime Minister of the Republic of Fiji Sitiweni Rambuka Photo source: Xinhua News Agency
The report said that 49 years ago, Fiji was the first Pacific island country to establish diplomatic relations with China. The Fiji Broadcasting Corporation reported that since the establishment of diplomatic relations, Fiji-China relations have continued to make new progress, and exchanges and cooperation in various fields have yielded fruitful results, benefiting the people of both countries.
According to a spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, during this visit, the leaders of the two countries will have an in-depth exchange of views on China-Fiji relations and important issues of common concern. Prime Minister Rambuka is another Pacific island leader invited to visit China this year, reflecting the close relationship between China and the South Pacific region. According to the Pacific Islands Forum website, this visit will be held after the annual meeting of foreign ministers of the Pacific Islands Forum held in Fiji on the 9th, which discussed regional peace and security issues and the strategic goals for 2050.
Chen Hong, executive director of the Asia-Pacific Research Center of East China Normal University, told the Global Times on the 11th that Fiji is a big country among the South Pacific island countries with a relatively active and developed economy. The China-Fiji cooperation has played a certain demonstration role in the cooperation between China and the Pacific island countries. Chen Hong said that the South Pacific island countries attach the most importance to addressing climate change and economic development. It is expected that during the Fijian Prime Minister's visit to China, China and Fiji will reach more cooperation in these two areas.
Reuters reported that in March this year, there were reports that Fiji agreed to maintain its police cooperation agreement with China. In 2011, Fiji and China signed a memorandum of understanding on police cooperation, allowing Fijian police to receive training in China and China to send police to Fiji for exchanges. In January 2023, the Fijian government requested a review of the memorandum on the grounds that "values and judicial systems are different from those of China." Reuters also stated: "Against the backdrop of the long-term competition between China and the United States for influence in the Asia-Pacific region, the agreement has aroused Australia's concerns."
Chen Hong said that the United States and some Western countries misled the China-Fiji security cooperation into a national security issue. This interrupted the mutually beneficial process between the two sides, which was also disadvantageous to Fiji. "China has no military presence in the South Pacific island countries." Chen Hong emphasized that the United States and other Western countries hope to firmly control the South Pacific island countries in terms of politics, economy and security, which actually reflects their hegemonic mentality.
Since the beginning of this year, many leaders of South Pacific island countries have visited China, including Prime Minister Manele of the Solomon Islands, Prime Minister Salwai of the Republic of Vanuatu, and President Adiong of the Republic of Nauru.
