Fiji's prime minister says his government is “more comfortable dealing with traditional friends” such as Australia as China pursues closer security ties in the Asia-Pacific region. Sitiveni Rabuka and Australia's Anthony Albanese met on Wednesday during the Fijian leader’s first state visit to Australia since he returned to power last year.
Fiji’s Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka, left, and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese talk after signing the visitors’ book at Parliament House in Canberra, Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2023. Rabuka said his government was “more comfortable dealing with traditional friends” such as Australia as China pursues closer security ties in the Asia-Pacific region.
“We’re more comfortable dealing with traditional friends, that we have similar systems of government, that our democracies are the same brand of democracy, coming out of the Westminster system,” Rabuka told reporters.England ends Fiji’s crowd-pleasing run at Rugby World Cup with tense 30-24 win to reach semifinals“Our justice system, our policing system -- we’re more comfortable with friends that we have had over a longer period,” Rabuka added.
Australia agreed to sell Fiji 14 Australian-built Bushmaster armored military vehicles and to reach an agreement on cybersecurity cooperation. Australia and the United States have stepped up their engagement with the region since last year when China struck a security pact with the Solomon Islands that raised concerns of a Chinese naval base being established in the South Pacific.
Under the AUKUS agreement, Australia will buy three Virginia-class submarines from the United States and build five new AUKUS-class submarines in cooperation with Britain in response to China’s growing influence.But during a discussion on the AUKUS deal on Tuesday, Rabuka stopped short of endorsing the increased military cooperation.
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