Shifting Sands

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Fiji will reconsider its security ties with China, the island nation’s leader hinted Wednesday, a potential shift that comes amid heightened geopolitical tensions in the Pacific region, the Associated Press reported.

Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka said the country was reviewing the controversial police cooperation deal that it signed with Beijing in 2011.

That agreement has allowed Chinese police officers to be stationed in the Pacific country and was later expanded in 2013 to include some military cooperation.

Rabuka’s comments came during a visit to New Zealand this week, where he was finalizing a defense agreement with Wellington that would allow Fiji’s military to build its capacity and acquire new technologies.

The prime minister noted that there has been a lot of geopolitical focus on the region, but that many countries only worry about militarization “when diplomacy and common neighborly discussions fail.”

Following his election victory last year, Rabuka has tried to distance Fiji from some of the policies of his predecessor, former Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama, including his push for closer ties with Beijing.

The potential shift comes as the United States and China have been competing for influence in the Pacific in recent years.

Last month, the US signed a new security pact with Papua New Guinea, recently opened embassies on the Solomon Islands and Tonga, and revived Peace Corps volunteer efforts.

Only last year the Solomon Islands and China signed a security pact, a move that raised alarm throughout the region.