Fiji to take part in U.S.-led initiative amid influence contest with China

Fiji will join the U.S. in a wide-ranging economic initiative, making it the first Pacific Island country to do so as competition heats up between Beijing and Washington for influence in the Asia-Pacific.

News of Fiji becoming the 14th country to join President Joe Biden’s Indo-Pacific Economic Framework came as China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi made a rare eight-day tour to Pacific Island countries this week.

“A close partner to the United States and a leader in the region, Fiji will add vital value and perspective to IPEF, including on our efforts to tackle the climate crisis and build a clean economy that creates good paying jobs,” U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan said in a statement.

Biden launched the framework earlier this week during his first trip to Asia, in a bid to assert U.S. leadership.

China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said in a briefing that any initiative should be conducive to peace and stability instead of artificially setting up barriers and creating confrontation. The Asia-Pacific “should not become a chess board for larger political contest,” he added.

Tensions between China and U.S. allies in the Pacific have ratcheted up in the past month, after the Chinese government said in April it had signed a security agreement with the Solomon Islands.

While the final wording of the deal hasn’t been released, an earlier draft version which was leaked on social media would allow Beijing to deploy security personnel to the Solomons in the wake of domestic unrest. It would also allow Chinese warships safe harbor in the Solomon Islands.

On Monday, Australia’s new Foreign Minister Penny Wong flew to Fiji to meet with the country’s prime minister ahead of the Chinese delegations’ visit to the island. In a speech delivered Thursday, she made a veiled jab at China’s diplomacy in the region, saying Australia’s partnership “won’t come with strings attached.”

China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi said at a media briefing in Honiara on the same day that China would engage with Pacific Island countries on the grounds of mutual respect, openness and inclusiveness.

In a reference to Wong’s speech, Wang added China didn’t interfere in Pacific nations’ internal affairs and said its support also came with no strings attached. He was set to visit Kiribati on Friday on his first official visit since both countries resumed diplomatic ties in 2019.