Commentary
Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni (“Siti”) Rabuka, 74, returned to office on Dec. 24, 2022, restoring experienced strategic leadership to the Southwest Pacific. But he faces challenges from friends and enemies alike.
His return to national leadership after almost a quarter-century is a major milestone in the competition in the region between China and the West. It is a clear setback for Beijing. Yet the current political climate in Washington, Canberra, and Wellington is not in harmony with his conservative, nationalist views. And also, because of domestic challenges, Rabuka’s return to power is not yet solidified.
Fiji has remained highly dependent on its historical strategic and social relationships with Australia and New Zealand, as well as with the United States. But some officials in the Fijian government had become, under the outgoing government, comfortable with the easier largesse available from China as had many in the trading and political communities in Australia, New Zealand, and the United States. Rabuka was never one to waver on this score….