Fiji’s prime minister, Sitiveni Rabuka, will travel to the Pif on the heels of a visit to Beijing, where he discussed economic development and other ways to deepen ties. The leaders of Vanuatu and Solomon Islands visited China in July.
While Pif members agree on many key priorities, maintaining regional solidarity can be challenging. Last year in Cook Islands, the political divide on deep-sea mining became clear. Since then, Vanuatu has led a charge at the most recent meeting of the International Seabed Authority to prevent licences for exploitation of seabed resources being issued before environmental regulations are in place. Last year, Pacific leaders asked the forum secretariat to convening a regional talanoa (discussion) on this issue. It has yet to take place.
Agence-France Presse contributed to this report