Latest news with #Rabuka
Scoop
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
'Political Dynamics In Fiji Are Unpredictable': Will Ratu Tevita Mara Step Into Politics?
Margot Staunton, RNZ Pacific senior journalist A Fijian political commentator predicts that Ratu Tevita Mara well could become prime minister in the future, once he gains chiefly status. The King and Queen of Tonga are in Fiji this week to celebrate two historic ceremonies in honour of Ratu Tevita, the son of Fiji's first prime minister, the late Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara. On Tuesday, a huge crowd gathered on Nayau Island in Lau - northeast of the main island - for a grand ceremony to witness the island's kingmakers present his first title, Turaga Tui Nayau. Ratu Tevita, a former military general, fled to Tonga in 2011 and went into exile after the then Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama wanted him tried for treason. The royal family sheltered him in their Nuku'alofa palace, where he worked as an advisor to King Tupou VI. The Bainimarama administration banned him from re-entering Fiji - something that only became possible after Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka's government came into power in December 2022. Tuesday's ceremony was highly significant because the titles had been vacant for more than two decades, following the death of Ratu Sir Kamisese in 2004. Ratu Tevita will receive two more titles, Tui Lau and Sau Ni Vanua Ko Lau, on Thursday during a ceremony at Tubou village in Lau. University of Canterbury's distinguished professor Steven Ratuva believes his chiefly status and mana will pave the way for him enter politics. "It has been the practice in the past that chiefs stand for elections, because it gives them more status and power," Ratuva said. "I am not sure if he would put himself forward, he is quite a humble man and will have responsibilities as a provincial leader. But it is likely he will be approached by at least two political parties: Rabuka's ruling People's Alliance Party and Sodelpa." Ratuva said that even if he did not want to stand in next year's election, Ratu Tevita could be asked to support the parties and mobilise votes in his traditional constituency. "He might say no to both of them, so other parties might decide to approach him," he said. "Others might say keep away from politics, it's dirty. A lot of chiefs who are politics now get tangled up in all kinds of controversy, so he'll probably be torn between those two forces." Ratu Tevita has kept his political leanings to himself and it is unclear if he would back Rabuka's government. "Chiefly alliances change all the time, especially at this point in time, the political dynamics in Fiji are unpredictable." Ratu Sir Kamisese formed the Alliance Party in the early 1960s. It was Fiji's first ruling party from 1966 to 1987, when the party was beaten by a Labour-led coalition led by Timoci Bavadra. After less than a month in office, the new government was deposed in a military coup led by the then Lieutenant Colonel Rabuka.
Scoop
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
China Rejects 'False Narratives' On Pacific Military Base Claims
China says it is not interested in geopolitical competition, warning that its cooperation with Pacific Island nations "can never be erased by smears". This is the response from the Chinese embassy in Fiji after reports last week that quoted Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka as saying China's military bases were "not welcome" in the region. During his National Press Club appearance in Canberra, Rabuka was repeatedly pressed by reporters about China's influence in the Pacific. While he praised President Xi Jinping as a "great leader", he said as long as he was leader, China would not be allowed to have a military base. However, he said Beijing had proven that it does not need a base outside China "to be able to launch what they have into any other area of the world". In a statement, China's embassy in Fiji said that claims about Beijing setting up a military base in the Pacific are "false and driven by ulterior motives". "China has always regarded Pacific Island Countries as good friends, good partners, and good brothers," the spokesperson for the embassy said. "China has no interest in geopolitical competition, or seeking the so-called 'sphere of influence'. There is no political strings attached to China's assistance, no imposing one's will onto others, and no empty promises." According to the ABC, Australian government assessments warn that China is seeking a security foothold in the Pacific, potentially through "dual use" infrastructure projects which could be used for military purposes. Australia's Pacific Minister Pat Conroy has repeatedly said publicly that Beijing is seeking a security "presence" in the region, including through its attempts to expand police cooperation in the Pacific, the state broadcaster reported. According to the Lowy Institute's Mihai Sora told the ABC that Rabuka's statements showed he was not on the same page as Australia when it came to Beijing's objectives. "My takeaway was that the prime minister fundamentally does not want to recognise China's strategic intent," he said. "Despite earlier acknowledging China's designs to increase influence, he doesn't connect that influence with seeking greater military access," he said. "Australia still needs to do far more to achieve alignment in strategic world views, even… among our closest Pacific security partners." But the Chinese embassy in Fiji said Beijing has been building roads and building bridges, and addressing development needs that respond to people's urgent needs. The spokesperson for the embassy said China advocates for all countries to uphold Pacific Island countries' autonomy and prioritise development. "China always believes that the Pacific is the homeland of the people of Pacific Island Countries, not the backyard of big powers outside the region. "The Pacific is a stage for cooperation, not a battlefield for vicious competition. It makes no sense to view China's sincere help to Pacific Island Countries from the narrow perspective of geo-competition." China tested an intercontinental ballistic missile in September that flew over Fiji to land 11,000 km from China in the international waters of the Pacific Ocean.
Perth Now
06-07-2025
- Politics
- Perth Now
Australia to grow Fiji ties after Rabuka visit
Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka's week-long visit to Australia has borne fruit, with Anthony Albanese's government agreeing to bolster aid by tens of millions to the Pacific nation. Australia has agreed to a fresh commitment of $52 million of support, with a focus on border security, taking commitments to the Melanesian nation to just under $500 million over the next four years. Foreign Minister Penny Wong has also announced a deepening of policing and security ties, including officers and advisers to be embedded in Fijian operations. "Australia and Fiji are taking steps to formally elevate and deepen the Vuvale Partnership as we work together to ensure a peaceful, stable and prosperous Pacific," Senator Wong said. The border security funding of $12 million will "strengthen border security by improving shipping container screening at Lautoka and Suva Ports". It's hoped this will tackle the growing illicit drugs crisis in Fiji, with the regional hub increasingly used by trafficking cartels as a gateway to the lucrative Australian market. Mr Rabuka arrived in Canberra last week, meeting with governor-general Sam Mostyn before a series of meetings with Australian officials, including Mr Albanese. He addressed the National Press Club on Wednesday, calling for a deepening of defence ties and raised the prospect of Fijian soldiers serving in the the Australian Defence Forces. He rebuked China's security ambitions for the region, saying Fiji would not welcome a military base in its territory or the wider Pacific. That is in keeping with Mr Rabuka's "Ocean of Peace" proposal, a vision for a peaceful and collaborative region that the veteran prime minister hopes to codify at the Pacific Islands Forum leaders' meeting in September. Australia has offered support for that proposal when it comes before the region's leaders at the annual summit, to be hosted in the Solomon Islands. Senator Wong and Pacific island Minister Pat Conroy, said Australia had also agreed to explore further co-operation with Fiji on several other areas. That includes developing a "modern, cyber-secure border management system", co-operation on transnational crime and policing.
Perth Now
06-07-2025
- Politics
- Perth Now
Albo's scores big with football diplomacy
In the latest display of football diplomacy, Australia and Fiji have agreed to 'deepen' ties after Anthony Albanese and his counterpart Sitiveni Rabuka watched the Wallabies duke it out with Fiji in a dramatic rugby test. Fiji was poised to beat the Wallabies but a last-minute try from captain Harry Wilson saved the day, securing Australia a 21-18 win. The prime ministers posed for photos just before kick-off, with each of them donning scarves for their respective teams. But as much as the match was a friendly sporting rivalry between neighbours, it played out against a backdrop of Pacific politics shaped by an increasingly aggressive China. The Albanese government has pumped billions into countering Chinese influence in the region – an endeavour to which Fiji is key. Little more than an hour after the match, Defence Industry and Pacific Affairs Minister Pat Conroy announced Australia and Fiji were 'taking steps to formally elevate and deepen the Vuvale Partnership as we work together to ensure a peaceful, stable and prosperous Pacific'. Among the key elements outlined were supporting Fiji roll out its new national security strategy and boosting Australian development assistance by $40m over four years. The latest cash commitment put Australia's total assistance to Fiji at $500m from 2025 to 2029. Other key elements included more Australian Federal Police officers embedded in Fiji's police force and tightening up border security at the country's major ports. 'During Fiji Prime Minister Sitveni Rabuka's visit to Australia, we affirmed our support for Prime Minister Rabuka's vision for an 'Ocean of Peace' including family first Pacific regionalism and Pacific-led solutions to Pacific challenges,' Mr Conroy said in a statement. Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka has said a Chinese base in the Pacific would not be welcome. Martin Ollman / NewsWire Credit: News Corp Australia While defence and security have been top-of-mind, the Albanese government has also prioritised people-to-people links with Australia's 'Pacific family'. Speaking to Newcastle radio on Saturday, Mr Albanese spruiked the match as doing just that. 'It is really important to recognise that relationships between nations essentially comes down to relationships between people,' he told the ABC. 'And that's why we unapologetically have provided support to support rugby in the region. 'That includes support that Australia has provided of $10 million over seven years for the Fijian Drua women and men to participate in those Super Rugby Pacific and Australia Super W competitions.' He noted Mr Rabuka 'timed his visit to Australia' to coincide with the rugby test. 'It is a great way in which our nations can show our commonality,' Mr Albanese said. 'We are all members of the Pacific family.' Speaking in Canberra on Wednesday, Mr Rabuka vowed to fight Chinese efforts to set up a base in the Pacific for as 'long as I'm Prime Minister'. 'There is really no need for them to set up any other bases in the Pacific,' he told the National Press Club. 'If they want to come, who would welcome them? Not Fiji.'
New Straits Times
04-07-2025
- Politics
- New Straits Times
China denies plan to build military base in South Pacific
SYDNEY: China's embassy in Fiji has insisted Beijing is not seeking a military base in the South Pacific, saying aid pledged to developing island nations came with "no political strings attached." Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka warned this week against any Chinese efforts to establish a military toehold in the strategically contested region. "If they want to come, who would welcome them? Not Fiji," Rabuka said in an address in Australia. "And I think that China understands that well." China's embassy blamed journalists for peddling "false narratives" about its military ambitions. "There is no political strings attached to China's assistance, no imposing one's will onto others, and no empty promises," an embassy spokesman said in statement posted to social media Thursday. "The claims about 'China setting up a military base in the Pacific' are false narratives. "They are baseless and driven by ulterior motives." The South Pacific – home to some of the world's smallest, least developed, and most climate-threatened countries – is at the centre of a diplomatic scramble pitting China against its Western rivals. China inked a secretive security pact with Pacific nation Solomon Islands in 2022. Although the details have never been published, the United States and close ally Australia fear it may be the prelude to some kind of permanent Chinese base. China maintains a small but conspicuous police presence in Solomon Islands and Kiribati, sending officers to train locals in shooting, riot tactics and martial arts. The Chinese embassy spokesman said Beijing would never force Pacific island nations to "sacrifice their sovereignty." "China's presence in the Pacific is focused on building roads and bridges to improve people's livelihoods, not on stationing troops or setting up military bases." Beijing has spent hundreds of millions of dollars building sports stadiums, presidential palaces, hospitals and roads in Pacific island nations. This charm offensive appears to have borne fruit.
