Fiji rejects idea of Chinese military bases in Pacific islands
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Strategically placed between the
United States and Asia, the Pacific islands are a focus of rivalry between Washington and Beijing for security ties.
The islands were trying to cope with a big, powerful China seeking to spread its influence, Rabuka told the National Press Club in the Australian capital, adding that Beijing understood he would lobby other Pacific leaders against such a base.
'Pacific leaders in all their recent discussions have tried to go for policies that are friendly to all and enemies to none – and it is a fairly tough course to steer, but it is possible,' he said.
The Pacific would feel the impact of any conflict over the Taiwan Strait between major powers, a possibility already being planned for by China
and other nations , Rabuka said.
Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of an Apec summit in San Francisco in 2023. Photo: Xinhua
Fiji opposes establishment of a military base by China, he said, in response to queries on Beijing's security ambitions in a region where it already has
a security pact with
Solomon Islands and a police presence in several nations.
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