Overview

• Rabuka declared Fiji would not welcome a Chinese military base and pledged to lobby fellow Pacific leaders against any such presence.
• He argued that China already projects power globally without overseas bases, citing an intercontinental ballistic missile test in September that flew over Fiji.
• China’s embassy in Suva dismissed reports of base ambitions as false narratives and emphasized its development-focused engagement.
• Rabuka is building support for an Ocean of Peace treaty to enshrine Pacific unity and prohibit coercion by outside powers.
• The initiative highlights Fiji’s effort to balance Chinese infrastructure ties with its security partnerships with Australia, New Zealand and the United States.