Battle for the South Pacific: Island nation of Fiji reconsiders security relations with China

In the Pacific region, China and the United States are struggling for influence. Both are trying to forge new alliances. The island nation of Fiji is now making a sudden U-turn in its foreign policy and switching to the US camp in the region.

In the Pacific region, China and the United States are struggling for influence. Both are trying to forge new alliances. Again and again, the focus of the world powers is on island states, which are likely to be found on the map by very few. For example, the island state of Fiji, a country consisting of more than 300 islands, about 2,500 kilometers off the east coast of Australia.

Fiji's head of government indicated on Wednesday that his country wants to reconsider its security ties with China at a time when geopolitical tensions in the Pacific region are rising. Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka said Fiji was reviewing a controversial police cooperation agreement signed with China in 2011 that allowed Chinese police to be stationed in Fiji. This was followed three years later by another agreement on defence issues such as border controls, equipment and training.

During a press conference in Wellington with his New Zealand counterpart Chris Hipkins, Rabuka seemed to want to go one step further: he even spoke of a "termination" of the agreement on police cooperation with China.

"If our systems and our values are different, how can we work with them?" said Rabuka, referring to China. "We need to look at this again before we decide whether to return to this agreement or whether we continue as before. By working with those who have similar democratic values and systems."

These remarks by Prime Minister Rabuka are remarkable in that the politician once railed against Australia, New Zealand, Great Britain and the USA in an interview with the Australian television channel ABC. He accused these states of still looking at Fiji through colonial glasses and not treating the country equally. Fiji was a British crown colony until 1970.

Rabuka said on Wednesday that Fiji was in the process of finalizing a defense deal with New Zealand, which is expected to be finalized next week. He said the new agreement will allow the Fijian military to build up its capabilities and capabilities and learn about new technologies.

Rabuka won a tense election in December against Frank Bainimarama, who held power in Fiji for 16 years. Since then, Rabuka has distanced himself from some of Bainimarama's policies, including efforts to forge closer ties with China.

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