China may help Fiji develop its ports and shipyards, the Pacific island country’s prime minister said, raising the prospect of stronger ties with Beijing in a key area of its economy.
Prime minister Sitiveni Rabuka, who has been cautious about China’s expanding security footprint in the Pacific, praised Beijing’s record of aid to Fiji in fighting Covid-19, developing agriculture and revamping infrastructure.
The modernisation of Fiji’s port facilities and shipyards is a “key focus” for sustainable economic development, Rabuka told parliament on Wednesday, after meeting with Chinese president Xi Jinping last week.
“I anticipate potential collaboration with China in that endeavour,” the Fijian leader said, citing the Asian giant’s “globally competitive shipbuilding” capacity.
Fiji and other Pacific nations have sought to strike a delicate balance as China competes for influence in the region with the United States and its allies.
Rabuka met Xi for the first time on the sidelines of the Apec forum in San Francisco last week. He said on Wednesday Fiji shared China’s vision for global security and that Beijing’s belt and road initiative “aligns with our nation’s development agenda”.
During a visit to Australia last month, Rabuka said he preferred dealing with democratic “traditional friends” when asked about China’s security role in the South Pacific.
An Australian-based ship design company said Rabuka had earlier sought the involvement of Australia, Fiji’s largest aid donor, in the shipyard project. Sea Transport chairman Stuart Ballantyne told Reuters his company had received a request from Fiji for a fleet of commercial ships it could assemble locally.
Fiji Ports referred questions about China’s involvement to Rabuka’s office, which did not respond to requests for comment from Reuters. China’s embassy in Fiji also did not respond to a request for comment.
China has been pushing for greater security and trade ties with Pacific Islands countries, signing a security pact with Solomon Islandswhich raised alarm in the United States. The US then responded by striking a defence deal with Papua New Guinea.
China’s policy on the Pacific Island nations fully respects the sovereignty and independence of those countries without attaching political conditions or empty promises, Xi said after meeting Rabuka last week.
Reuters and Agence France-Presse contributed to this report
