Round The World

New Delhi, 29 August 2025

Fiji PM In India

FIRMING STRATEGIC TIES

By Dr. D.K. Giri

(Prof of Practice, NIIS Group of Institutions) 

The Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Liga Mamada Rabuka was in India to explore the possibilities of deepening and widening their partnership with India. It was his first visit after he came to power in 2022. And it was one year after the visit of Hon’ble President of India to Fiji Island, and the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014; 33 years after any Indian Prime Minister went there. The Fijian Prime Minister was accompanied by a heavy delegation and interactions in New Delhi covered a wide range of issues. 

Evidently, from media reports, Rabuka’s visit from 24 to 26 August went off quite well. This was reflected in the customary post-meeting statement of Prime Minister Modi, “In our cooperation with the Pacific Island nations, we see Fiji as a hub. Both our countries strongly support a free, open, inclusive, secure, and prosperous Indo-Pacific region. We warmly welcome Fiji into India’s Indo-Pacific Ocean’s initiatives. The joint statement underscored the importance of “shared interests in advancing regional peace, stability and prosperity”. 

The relations between India and Fiji go back to 1789 when both countries were colonies of the British Empire. During 1789 to 1916, the British Colonial Administration transferred indentured labour from India to work in other colonies, in their tea plantations and other industries. To Fiji alone, the Colonial Administration shifted 60,000 Girmitiyas (indentured labour) from the states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. Today, Fijians from Indian origin constitute 38 per cent of about 930,000 population of Fiji. Ever since, people-to-people contacts between the two countries have been robust. Indian Diaspora in Fiji has been connected with India through education, culture, trade and tourism. New Delhi has leveraged the sizeable population of Indian descent in lobbying for or against Fiji in multilateral forums. The rift between two countries has happened during several coups that the Island country has experienced. 

Formal relations between the two countries began in 1970 as New Delhi opened its High Commission in Fijian capital Suva, and Fiji opened its diplomatic Mission in New Delhi. Since then, in addition to people-to-people contacts, overlapping strategic concerns and economic interest have brought the countries closer, especially in the India-Pacific. The bilateral relations have covered healthcare, defence, climate, trade and so on. In this visit, India and Fiji signed seven MoUs that included agreements on building a 100-bed super speciality hospital in Fiji and one on migration and mobility. The other agreements covered cyber security, maritime security, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. 

Both countries strongly condemned terrorism anywhere in the world making a special reference to the terror attack in Pahalgam in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. Fiji declared its support to India for the permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council. India has been supporting Fiji in multilateral forums such as Global South Coalition and Climate Change conclaves, namely in International Solar Alliance (ISA). 

In the health sector, in addition to the aforementioned hospital, Indian agencies will help deliver the tele-medicine through the e-Sanjivani platform at an affordable cost. Jan Aushadhi (Peoples’ Pharmacies) will be set up in Fiji. The Jaipur Foot, India-made prosthetic limb will be made available. Ten Fijians will be treated every year under ‘Heal in India’ programme. On climate action, India will help in capacity building, harnessing solar energy and in disaster resilience. New Delhi will leverage platforms like ISA and CDRI – the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure and GBA – Global Bio-Fuel Alliance. Interestingly, Fiji has joined all of them. 

In agriculture, India donated 12 drones, 2 soil testing labs, and 5 metric tonne of cowpea seeds and technical training for Fiji’s sugar sector. Agriculture received renewed focus in this visit. Fiji will extend market access for Indian ghee, help SME development and economic diversification. A Declaration of Intent was signed to facilitate professional and students’ visit. On people’s front, New Delhi will deploy a Hindi-Sanskrit teacher to the University of Fiji. India has also agreed to send a cricket coach to develop cricketing talents. 

On security, the existing cooperation was expanded. A Joint Working Group on Defence was set up. New Delhi will help Fiji enhance its defence capabilities by providing training in cyber and maritime security. New Delhi will send two ambulances to Fiji’s military, establish a defence wing at its High Commission in Suva.  New Delhi will also set up a cyber training cell. Much of these agreements were part of India’s plan to reach out to small Islands under its strategy of development-first. 

Remember that during Modi’s 2014 visit to Fiji, India had launched a forward-looking Forum for India and Pacific Island Cooperation (FIPIC). This was meant to engage the 14 Pacific Island countries - Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshal Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Nien, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Soloman Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. FIPIC has already hosted three summits – Suva (2014), Jaipur (2015), Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea (2023). 

The above reach-out to small Islands is part of India’s strategy towards small states. Paul Sutton and Anthony Payne in their impressive work, “Size and Survival – The Politics of Security in the Caribbean and Pacific” argue that small states face multiple security problems. They often have limited strategic depth and can be vulnerable to the pressures and manipulations of larger and more powerful states. They also face a wide range of non-traditional threats including terrorism, cyber warfare, disinformation, campaigns and pandemics. 

Small states seek to alleviate their security problems by making strategic alliances and partnerships with other states and larger powers to offset their inherent military and economic disadvantages. New Delhi has correctly comprehended the structural deficiencies of small states, in this case Fiji and other Pacific Islands and is building their capabilities to deepen their confidence and autonomy. 

All in all, Prime Minister Rabuka’s visit marked a new phase in their relations with India. To be sure, this has been a historical partnership which now aligns with contemporary challenges and opportunity. New Delhi will seek to situate this partnership in a cooperative India-Pacific order. Both countries have reiterated that India-Pacific should be free, open and inclusive. Note that Rabuka had opposed only last July China’s reported plans to establish a naval base in Pacific Island. So, both countries, characterising India-Pacific region as open and inclusive, is a signal to China. 

New Delhi continues to constructively engage the small Islands in India Pacific. It points to rays of sunshine in India’s foreign policy when the big powers of the world are making the global geo-politics dismal and dark. ---INFA 

(Copyright, India News & Feature Alliance)