Fiji and New Zealand are set to finalize a military agreement next week to deepen security ties, the Fijian leader said on Wednesday, as the Pacific nation placed China’s police cooperation deal under review.
Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka made the remarks during his visit to New Zealand this week, where he met with New Zealand’s Prime Minister Chris Hipkins and other government officials.
Rabuka said the new military deal will allow Fijian defense officials “to undertake engagement in different areas, including capacity building and upskilling and exposure to new technologies interoperability and technical support, among others.”
Geopolitical competition in the Pacific intensified after China struck a military deal with the Solomon Islands last year, which Pacific nations fear could allow China to station its troops and weapons on the island….