Fiji's Prime Minister, Sitiveni Rabuka, expressed his gratitude towards India on Thursday, following an announcement made by India's External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar, during his three-day visit to the Pacific island nation that hosts the World Hindi Conference.
The announcement was regarding a visa waiver agreement for diplomatic and official passport holders. When asked about Fiji's relationship with China, Rabuka deflected the question by saying that he was grateful for India's support, and added that Fiji had great old friends like India and China, and the country would continue its relationships with both.
Reports had surfaced that Fiji had terminated its agreement with Beijing to train its police, but Rabuka clarified that the reason was that their systems were different, and therefore, there was no need for Chinese state security personnel to continue. He further said that the visa waiver agreement would benefit many Fijians who travel to India for medical treatment and education, and expressed confidence in deepening cooperation between the two nations.