Belt and Road Initiative Between China-Fiji Remain Affirmed

The Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation, Viliame Gavoka, says the Belt and Road Initiative is 10 years old and established on a powerful platform with headwinds, impacting initiatives that are a testament to the Chinese leadership.

Mr Gavoka highlighted this after the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing, China, on Wednesday.

Representatives from Fiji, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands were among the many member countries present at the forum.

“Fiji is fortunate that it has major Chinese companies with experience in our country and the region. These companies were being applauded during the forum for the quality of their work on some very significant projects.

The Chinese company that built the railway from Adis Ababa to Djibouti is operating in Fiji,” Mr Gavoka said.

“While we link up and fully learn to benefit from the BRI, we already have major Chinese companies in the country that can link us to the BRI and deliver on the projects to the standard we expect.”

Mr Gavoka also met with the Vice President of China Energy International Group Co., Ltd. (CEIG), Zhou Junhua, about partnership opportunities in the energy sector and also met with the Administrator of the Civil Aviation Administration of China, Song Zhiyong.

The President of the People’s Republic of China, Xi Jinping, officially opened the BRI forum in the presence of member countries, including Russia, with President Vladimir Putin also delivering his address at the event.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation Viliame Gavoka at Beijing, China on October 18, 2023. Photo: CCTV

What is the BRI in the Pacific context

A study conducted by Carol Li in 2022, titled ‘The Belt and Road Initiative in Oceania: Understanding the People’s Republic of China’s strategic interests and engagement in the Pacific’ stated that the One Belt One Road Initiative was formally announced in 2013 by President Xi who travelled to Fiji in 2014, where he held bilateral talks with the Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Papua New Guinea, Niue, Tonga, Samoa, Vanuatu and Fiji to discuss the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road and Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank.

The BRI has seen the completion of several infrastructure projects in Fiji, such as the construction of Stinson Parade and Vatuwaqa Bridges (US$6m/FJ$13.73m) in Suva, the upgrade of Nabouwalu Dreketi Road (US$135m/FJ$309m) in concessional loans), the redevelopment of Suva Civic Centre (US$9.5m/FJ$21.74m), the construction and provision of medical equipment for Navua Hospital Medical Training and Emergency Centre (US$6m/FJ$13.73m), the construction of Panda Power Plant, and the construction of a sports facility for Marist Brothers’ High School, which was worth US$6 million (FJ$13.73m). Xi’s message

While officiating at the opening of the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing, China, President Xi, said China would continue to deepen cooperation in green infrastructure, green energy, and green transportation and step up support for the BRI International Green Development Coalition.

“China will continue to hold the BRI Green Innovation Conference and establish dialogue and exchange mechanisms for the solar industry and a network of experts on green and lowcarbon development.

“China will implement the Green Investment Principles for the Belt and Road and provide 100,000 training opportunities for partner countries by 2030,” he said.

He said China would work with its BRI partner countries to strengthen the building of multilateral cooperation platforms covering energy, taxation, finance, green development, disaster reduction, anti-corruption, think tanks, media, culture, and other fields while also establishing a secretariat for the forum.

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