Category: Fiji

Fiji to Finalize Military Deal With New Zealand, Reviewing China’s Police Accord

Fiji and New Zealand are set to finalize a military agreement next week to deepen security ties, the Fijian leader said on Wednesday, as the Pacific nation placed China’s police cooperation deal under review. Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka made the remarks during his visit to New Zealand this week, where he met with New…


SHEIN Tries to Clear Name With DC Lobby Campaign

Chinese fast fashion giant SHEIN is under scrutiny over concerns of forced labor in its supply chain. The company is taking several steps to offset those allegations, including launching a lobbying campaign in Washington. It’s also talking up its new status as a Singapore-based company after relocating its headquarters there from Nanjing, China. But critics…


Fiji Leader Apologizes for 1987 Military Coup Ahead of India-Pacific Summit

Fiji’s prime minister on Sunday apologized for his actions during the nation’s 1987 military coup, which led to a mass exodus of Indian Fijians from the nation, ahead of the India-Pacific Islands summit next week. Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka made his apology at a church service held at the Vodafone Arena in Suva, which…


Fiji Backs AUKUS Deal as Albanese Takes ‘Family First’ Approach With Island Nation

Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni ­Rabuka has assured Australia that the AUKUS deal has his country’s backing following efforts by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to ease regional concerns over the security pact. The meeting, which occurred on March 15 during a diplomatic visit in Fiji’s capital Nadi, comes a day after Indonesia and Malaysia issued statements…


Former Fijian PM Frank Bainimarama Banned From Parliament for ‘Seditious’ Speech

Fiji’s former prime minister and incumbent opposition leader Frank Bainimarama has been banned from parliament for three years after making “seditious” remarks and insulting the president. The Fijian Parliament voted on the decision to terminate Bainimarama on Friday, with Bainimarama being accused of breaching parliamentary privileges. Bainimarama, Fiji’s longest-serving PM and leader of the FijiFirst…


Can Beijing Accept the Change in the Southwest Pacific?

Commentary Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni (“Siti”) Rabuka, 74, returned to office on Dec. 24, 2022, restoring experienced strategic leadership to the Southwest Pacific. But he faces challenges from friends and enemies alike. His return to national leadership after almost a quarter-century is a major milestone in the competition in the region between China and the…


Fiji’s New Leader Scraps Police Training Deal With China, Fires Top Cop

Fiji’s newly-elected leader said on Thursday that the Fijian security force would cease working with personnel from China, signaling the end of a policing agreement signed between the two nations in 2011. Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka, who took office in December 2022, deemed it unnecessary for the Pacific Island nation to continue its policing agreement…


US and Australia Need to Rethink Approach to Pacific Engagement: New Fijian Prime Minister

New Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka has called on Australia and the United States to rethink their approaches to the strategic partnership with the Pacific country. In an interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Rabuka said he thought that Australia and the United States had an antiquated way of approaching diplomatic ties and engagement with Fiji….


Vote Counting Finishes in Fiji Election With No Clear Winner

WELLINGTON, New Zealand—Vote counting finished in Fiji’s general election Sunday but there was no clear winner, and various political parties are now negotiating to form a coalition government. The election had pitted two former coup leaders against each other. Sitiveni Rabuka, who led a coup back in 1987 and later served as an elected prime…


Fiji Warns Against Suspected ‘Organized Movement’ Inciting Violence on Eve of Election

Fiji’s anti-corruption agency on Tuesday warned citizens against a suspected “organized movement” behind fake emails inciting racial violence following the arrest of a suspect on the eve of the country’s general election. The Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption (FICAC) said that a suspect had been arrested for sending fake emails alleging that churches and temples…