Fiji PM Says Chinese Military Base in the Pacific ‘Not Welcome’

But Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka maintained that Pacific nations wished to remain ‘friendly to all and enemies to none.’
Fiji PM Says Chinese Military Base in the Pacific ‘Not Welcome’
Fiji's Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka speaks to media during a joint press conference with New Zealand's Prime Minister Chris Hipkins at Parliament in the Wellington on June 7, 2023. (Photo by Marty MELVILLE / AFP) Photo by MARTY MELVILLE/AFP via Getty Images
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Pacific nations are trying to navigate a geopolitical environment dominated by “a China that is big, really big,” and which would “probably like to spread its influence” in the region, Fiji’s prime minister has told the Australian National Press Club.

He reiterated the official stance taken by members of the Pacific Island Forum (PIF), which is that the nations would be “friendly to all and enemies to none,” but acknowledged that it would be a “fairly tough course to steer.”

Rex Widerstrom
Rex Widerstrom
Author
Rex Widerstrom is a New Zealand-based reporter with over 40 years of experience in media, including radio and print. He is currently a presenter for Hutt Radio.