Rabuka calls for Pacific unity amid China's growing influence

Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka's recent trip to Bei­jing, a week before Pacific leaders and development part­ners converge in Tonga, is per­haps refreshing for Fiji.

The visit has prompted the PM to call for greater understanding of China.

Following the bilateral dialogue, President Xi Jinping publicly declared his support for the PM's Ocean of Peace, amid concerns over Beijing's rising influence in the region.

However, Mr Rabuka said the is­sue was fear, not China's presence in the region.

"Perhaps we have been living un­der fear for so long; we need to un­derstand China. We understand the United States better now be­cause we've had a closer associa­tion for longer," Mr Rabuka said.

"If we are friends with China, we are friends with the United States of America, and if some are not, that should not create any fear."

The Pacific Islands are custo­dians of a great resource-the Pacific Ocean-that is of great interest to many countries, both traditional and non-traditional partners.

Pacific Island leaders use the Fo­rum to discuss issues of concern, including decolonisation, devel­opment, climate financing, and geopolitics.

"China has only recently opened; they have been living behind that bamboo wall for so long," Mr Rabuka said.

"We shut them down, we shut them off. Now we need to get there and understand them."

He emphasised that foreign af­fairs must be conducted in a way that does not interfere with the sovereignty of other territories and powers.

"We understand each other; we understand our needs for develop­ment, we understand our respect for sovereignty, and they under­stand us."

Mr Rabuka said China's pres­ence at the forum meeting implied that China placed greater impor­tance on the region, both strate­gically for them and internation­ally, for all the world to see.

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