Fiji: New Zealand and Fiji have signed a defence agreement to strengthen military training and maritime security, which comes amid rising tensions over security in the region.

The agreement, signed by New Zealand’s Defence Minister Mr. Andrew Little and Fiji’s Minister for Home Affairs and Immigration Mr. Pio Tikoduadua in Suva, sets a legal framework for military cooperation between the two countries in each other’s territories. The agreement will also address disaster and humanitarian response coordination and the challenges of climate change.

Mr. Little stated that the deal “reflects the value New Zealand places on our relationship with Fiji,” adding that it was important for the two militaries to work together more effectively.

It comes as the US, New Zealand, and Australia push to build stronger security ties with Pacific nations as they attempt to offer an alternative to China’s growing influence in the region. In May 2023, the United States and Papua New Guinea entered into an agreement focusing on defence and maritime cooperation.

In 2022, the Solomon Islands signed a security pact with China, but Beijing failed to secure a broader regional security deal.

“Beijing’s success in signing the China-Solomon Islands security deal last year has kind of put a chill on other Pacific Island nations doing the same, especially if not balanced by deals with Australia, New Zealand, or the United States,” Derek Grossman, a senior defence analyst at the RAND Corporation, said.

Recently, Fiji’s Prime Minister, Mr. Sitiveni Rabuka, signalled the country’s intention to shift away from a policing agreement reached with China more than a decade ago that had been suspended since he came into office in January. During a visit to Wellington, Rabuka said the 2011 agreement was now under review.

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