President Droupadi Murmu meeting with the Prime Minister of Fiji, Sitiveni Ligamamada Rabuka, in New Delhi on August 25, 2025.
India and Fiji Bolster Ties Amid China’s Pacific Influence
New Delhi: As China expands its influence in the Asia-Pacific with over $10.6 billion in development finance to Pacific Island countries from 2008 to 2022 and a 2025 foreign ministers’ summit, India and Fiji strengthened their partnership through agreements signed during Fiji’s Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka’s visit to India from August 24 to 26, 2025. Hosted by India’s President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the visit yielded eight bilateral documents and 17 announcements to advance cooperation in defence, health, agriculture, education, culture, and sports.
Defence cooperation emphasises capacity building for the Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF) through training in United Nations Peacekeeping Operations (UNPKO), Military Medicine, and White Shipping Information Exchange (WSIE). India’s initiatives, including a Defence Attaché post in the High Commission of India in Suva and gifting two ambulances to the RFMF, support Fiji’s priority to secure its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), particularly as Fiji’s Prime Minister opposes Chinese military bases in the Pacific. These efforts, built on a 2017 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), align with India’s Act East Policy and Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC), positioning India as a strategic counter to China’s economic and security engagements in the region.
Bilateral agreements include an MoU between the Government of the Republic of India and the Government of the Republic of Fiji for a 100-bed super-speciality hospital in Suva, the largest project under India’s Grant-in-Aid Programme in the Pacific. An MoU between the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) and Fiji’s Department of National Trade Measurement and Standards (DNTMS), under Fiji’s Ministry of Trade, Cooperatives, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises and Communications, promotes standardisation. An agreement between HLL Lifecare Limited and Fiji’s Ministry of Health and Medical Services ensures affordable medicines under the Janaushadhi Scheme. MoUs cover human capacity building between India’s National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NIELIT) and Fiji’s Pacific POLYTECH, Indian grant assistance for the Tubalevu Village Ground Water Supply Project as a Quick Impact Project (QIP) announced at the 53rd Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in Tonga (2024), and migration and mobility for professional and student exchanges. The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Fiji Commerce & Employers Federation (FCEF) signed an MoU for economic ties, while the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) and Fiji Development Bank agreed on rural development and financial inclusion. Fiji handed over the lease deed for the Indian Chancery Building in Suva, following land allocation for a Chancery-cum-Cultural Centre, while India allocated land in New Delhi in 2015 for Fiji’s High Commission Chancery.
Announcements include a 2026 visit by Fiji’s Parliamentary Delegation and Great Council of Chiefs to India, a 2025 port call by an Indian Naval Ship to Fiji, a Cyber Security Training Cell (CSTC) in Fiji, and Fiji’s inclusion in the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI). India will supply two mobile soil testing laboratories and 12 agricultural drones to Fiji’s Ministry of Sugar Industry and Multi-Ethnics Affairs, depute a Hindi-cum-Sanskrit teacher to the University of Fiji to develop its Centre for Hindi Studies, organize a second Jaipur Foot Camp, offer specialized medical treatment for up to 10 Fijians under the ‘Heal in India’ programme, provide a cricket coach for Cricket Fiji, depute an Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) expert to the Fiji Sugar Corporation, and offer ITEC training for sugar industry staff. India will support training Fijian pundits for the International Geeta Mahotsav (IGM) 2025, with a concurrent IGM event in Fiji. Indian ghee gained market access in Fiji, 5 metric tonnes of high-quality cowpea seeds were provided in July 2025, and India will supply dialysis units and sea ambulances to enhance Fiji’s healthcare infrastructure. President Murmu, welcoming Fiji’s Prime Minister on August 25, 2025, recalled her August 2024 Fiji visit, noting the traditional welcome by indigenous tribal elders and the Indian diaspora’s role, descendants of over 60,000 Girmitiya labourers (1879–1916), in shaping Fiji’s multicultural identity, diverse society, and economy. Prime Minister Modi highlighted Girmitiya contributions and Fiji’s Ramayana Mandali tradition, welcoming Fiji’s Girmit Day recognition, marked in May 2025, with India’s Minister of State for External Affairs and Textiles, Pabitra Margherita, in attendance. He noted Fijian rugby star Waisale Serevi’s coaching of India’s rugby team, complementing India’s cricket coach support for Fiji, reflecting growing sports ties, with rugby popular in Fiji and cricket in India.
Discussions covered health, with India supporting Fiji’s telemedicine via e-Sanjeevani and establishing Jan Aushadhi Kendras for affordable medicines. An MoU on Indian Pharmacopoeia recognition (May 2025) enhances pharmaceutical collaboration, supplementing Fiji’s Overseas Medical Referral programme. Capacity building through ITEC programmes for Fijian officials and sharing expertise in Unified Payments Interface (UPI), Jan Dhan, and Aadhaar were emphasised. Both leaders condemned the Pahalgam terrorist attack (26 civilian deaths), committing to counter radicalisation, terrorist financing, and technology misuse at the United Nations and other forums, rejecting double standards on terrorism.
Defence ties, strengthened through the inaugural Joint Working Group (JWG) on Defence, cover UNPKO, Military Medicine, WSIE, and maritime security, supporting Fiji’s EEZ protection. Climate action was prioritised, aligning with India’s Mission Lifestyle for Environment (LiFE) and Fiji’s 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent. Fiji’s membership in the International Solar Alliance (ISA), Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI), and Global Biofuels Alliance (GBA) supports sustainable energy and resilience, with a tripartite MoU with ISA establishing a STAR-Centre at Fiji National University for solar energy deployment. The 6th Foreign Office Consultations (July 2025) and 3rd Joint Working Group on Health (August 13, 2025) reviewed progress. Fiji endorsed India’s Act East Policy, FIPIC outcomes (May 2023), and India’s UN Security Council bids (permanent and 2028–29 non-permanent). Fiji’s Prime Minister praised India’s Global South leadership, including the Voice of Global South Summits and DAKSHIN Centre of Excellence, emphasising South-South cooperation and UN reforms. Fiji’s Prime Minister invited India’s Prime Minister to Fiji, reinforcing the “Veilomani Dosti” partnership, with Fiji’s vision of an “Ocean of Peace” complementing India’s Indo-Pacific goals.
– global bihari bureau
