Fiji’s China Shift

Since the 2006 coup, under the military dictatorship and then subsequent democratic leadership of Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama, there has been a noted shift in Fiji’s foreign policy. Suspicious of the influence of the two regional powers, Australia and New Zealand, Fiji has attempted to promote itself as the protector of the interests of the Pacific Islands states, often posturing against the regional powers.

A significant aspect of this shift has been Fiji’s exploration of greater ties with China. After the 2006 coup and Fiji’s suspension from the Pacific Islands Forum, Fijian soldiers began going to China for military training in place of the traditional training partnership Fiji had with Australia. This arrangement with China has been maintained despite the normalization of Fiji in the south Pacific region.

These closer bonds between Fiji and China were highlighted by President Xi Jinping’s visit to the country in 2014. During his visit, Xi signed a memorandum of understanding with Bainimarama providing for military cooperation between the two countries. In a subsequent move demonstrating these newfound closer ties, Fijian soldiers participated in a 2015 military parade in Beijing marking the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II.  There has also been some discussion about Chinese assistance with establishing a new Fijian naval base.

China’s assistance has also extended its educational services to the Pacific Island region, having promised to provide 2,000 scholarships and 5,000 training opportunities for Pacific Islanders in China. Since 2012 Fiji has sent about 80 of its most senior public servants to the China Executive Leadership Academy in Shanghai. Furthermore, China has now become the major development assistance donor to Fiji.

Fiji’s primary asset remains its natural beauty and the hospitality of its people, and these are beginning to attract a significant increase in tourism from China. Direct flights from Beijing were established in 2016. Chinese tourists have not yet reached the numbers of Australian and New Zealanders, but the Fijian government will undoubtedly be aware of the huge potential of this market.

Further highlighting this burgeoning relationship, Fiji was one of 29 countries to send a head of state or government to China’s recent Belt and Road Forum (BRF). As the only Pacific Island state to send official representation to the forum, Fiji positioned itself as the interlocutor between the island states and China. As a gesture of goodwill, in the days prior to the forum Fiji closed its trade office (and de facto embassy) in Taipei.

While in Beijing, Bainimarama met with the chairman of the Bank of China and the president of the Asian Infrastructure and Investment Bank (AIIB), with the intent of seeking new investment partners for the country’s development, as well as ongoing rebuilding efforts after Cyclone Winston devastated the country last year.

Alongside these meetings, Bainimarama also met with Xi and Premier Li Keqiang to gain Chinese assistance for Fiji’s forthcoming presidency of the Conference of the Parties (COP), which will be held in Bonn, Germany, from November 6 to 17 this year. The COP is the annual forum for countries that signed on to the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and Fiji is the first Small Island Developing State to hold the presidency. The presidency of the forum provides an opportunity for Fiji to truly lead the other Pacific Island states in the way it has long desired.

In a speech to the UN Climate Change Conference in May (a precursor to COP23), Bainimarama outlined his vision for Fiji’s presidency of COP. The interests of small islands states are at the core of this vision. He stated a desire to build greater resilience for vulnerable states against rising sea levels and extreme weather events. He hoped that cooperation could be reached on climate adaptable finance, and affordable climate risk and disaster insurance. Bainimarama reiterated Fiji’s commitment to the defense and implementation of the Paris Agreement, and seeks to promote the adoption of renewable energy, and sustainable agriculture.

Despite its period of suspension from the Pacific Islands Forum, Fiji has been able to both maintain and strengthen its position as the leading international actor among the Pacific Island states. The concerns Australia and New Zealand had over Fiji’s lack of democratic governance from 2006 to 2014 provided an opportunity for Fiji to enhance its relationship with Beijing, which had no such concerns. This cunning move by Bainimarama has the potential to not only bring material benefits to the Fijian people, but provide greater leverage for Fiji in its relations with the south Pacific’s traditional regional power structures.