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Fiji

The latest news, analysis and opinion on Fiji. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.

Capital

Suva

Head of State

President Wiliame Katonivere

Head of Government

Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka

A long-range ballistic missile bursts out of the sea during a test launched from a Chinese nuclear-powered submarine in the South Pacific on July 6, 2026. Photo: Xinhua via AP

My Take

How China’s rare missile test sparked hysterical hypocrisy

Western pundits were quick to denounce Beijing. But far more frequent US launches rate barely a mention.

12 Jul 2026 - 9:30PM

Pacific nations

Opinion | Panic over China’s missile test is born of Western bias

11 Jul 2026 - 1:30PMvideocam

China's military weapons

What does China’s submarine missile test mean for its nuclear triad expansion?

8 Jul 2026 - 12:43AMvideocam

Australia

Australia, Fiji sign mutual defence pact to boost Pacific security

Australia has greatly upped its diplomatic efforts in the region following China’s secretive security deal with the Solomon Islands in 2022.

6 Jul 2026 - 10:34AM

Prime ministers of Australia, Anthony Albanese (left), and Fiji, Sitiveni Rabuka, shake hands after signing a treaty in Suva on Monday. Photo: EPA

Asean

Aid and diplomacy: US Navy’s renewed bid for Southeast Asian influence

Pacific Partnership 2026 aims to counter China’s rising influence in the region, amid growing doubts about US leadership, analysts say.

17 Jun 2026 - 5:21PM

India

Quad’s proposed port project in Fiji risks being ‘another empty promise’

Analysts warn that a lack of commitment by the four-member bloc on the project could open the door for China to expand its economic clout.

5 Jun 2026 - 5:58PM

US-China relations

US-China policy under Trump is heading for ‘unpredictable drift’: expert

Beijing is said to face complex double-edged calculus amid contrasting approaches of American president and Washington establishment.

6 Jun 2026 - 6:55PMvideocam

Chinese President Xi Jinping (left) and US President Donald Trump attend a welcome ceremony for the American leader held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on May 14. Photo: AP

US-China relations

Quad foreign ministers fight for relevance as leaders’ summit remains elusive

Critical minerals and Indo-Pacific security took centre stage amid doubts over US commitment and a delayed leaders’ summit.

27 May 2026 - 3:41AMvideocam

Pacific nations

Pacific Islanders skip food, medicine amid global fuel shortage from Iran war

Pacific nations are the most reliant on diesel for power generation worldwide. They imported about 2.2 million tonnes of fuel in 2025.

22 Apr 2026 - 9:37AM

Hong Kong Sevens

On This Day | First Hong Kong Sevens rugby tourney held in 1976 – SCMP archive

50 years ago today, the city hosted its first international rugby sevens tournament at the Hong Kong Football Club.

28 Mar 2026 - 10:30AM

Hong Kong players run out on to the pitch at the first sevens in 1976. Photo: HKRFU

China-Australia relations

Call for ‘Pacific Eyes’ intelligence body to offset China’s growing presence

Think tank proposes dedicated alliance – initially with Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Fiji – to avoid being ‘blindsided’.

21 Oct 2025 - 10:08PMvideocam

Australia

Australia’s Jetstar prepares to fly with cargo door open, sparking outrage

A union leader calls the incident ‘horrific’, blaming it on a baggage handling firm for overworking its staff.

9 Oct 2025 - 1:46PM

Pacific nations

Pacific Islands leaders call for ‘ocean of peace’ but face rough seas at summit

The Pacific Islands Forum has been clouded by allegations that host Solomon Islands did not invite Taiwan to please its close backer.

10 Sep 2025 - 5:18PM

International Criminal Court

My Take | World must stand up to US bullying of International Criminal Court

Washington’s latest sanctions of ICC judges continue its direct assault on international law and is a slap in the face of the global community.

24 Aug 2025 - 9:00PM

International Criminal Court

US sanctions ICC judges for probes into alleged American, Israeli war crimes

The sanctions, announced by Secretary of State Rubio, are the latest steps the US has taken against the international war crimes tribunal.

21 Aug 2025 - 8:58AMvideocam

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Photo: AFP

Climate change

Opinion | World Court’s ruling opens the door wider for climate justice

The court’s decision could result in legal action against countries that fail to honour their climate commitments.

29 Jul 2025 - 5:30AMvideocam

Climate change

World’s top court just changed the game for climate action

The landmarks ruling holds that countries and big corporations have a legal duty to shield people from environmental harm.

24 Jul 2025 - 5:00PMvideocam

Climate change

World Court states ‘clean environment’ is a human right

The more than 500-page non-binding opinion from the UN’s highest court is seen as a potential turning point in international climate law.

24 Jul 2025 - 1:57AM

The UN’s top court says failing to protect planet from climate change could violate international law. Photo: Shutterstock

Pacific nations

Australia, US push Pacific deterrence amid China’s security overtures

Analysts note the significance of Papua New Guinea and Fiji’s unprecedented involvement in this year’s ‘Olympics of war games’.

23 Jul 2025 - 2:52PM

Pacific nations

Fiji rejects idea of Chinese military bases in Pacific islands

‘If they want to come, who would welcome them?’ Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka said on Wednesday. ‘Not Fiji’.

2 Jul 2025 - 2:37PMvideocam

Pacific nations

Tiny Pacific nations fear US travel bans. Why?

Tuvalu, Tonga and Vanuatu all appeared on a list of nations facing new visa curbs. A US official says Washington has ‘valid concerns’.

2 Jul 2025 - 4:38PMvideocam

A man sat in a hammock drinks coconut milk on Funafuti Atoll, Tuvalu. Photo: AFP

Pacific nations

Most Pacific island women don’t work. The World Bank wants to change that

Outdated laws and social norms keep 57 per cent of working-age women across the Pacific out of the labour force, the bank says.

17 Jun 2025 - 12:03PM

A stallholder displays her wares to tourists at a market on Rarotonga in the Pacific nation of the Cook Islands earlier this month. Photo: AFP

Luxury travel

Review | Looking for a luxury eco-resort in Fiji? Try Jean-Michel Cousteau Resort

Where better to celebrate World Oceans Day than at this luxury Fijian resort, where Scuba inventor Jacques Cousteau’s son works with its owners through his Ocean Futures Society.

13 Jun 2025 - 2:22PM

US-China trade war

My Take | The United States, not China, turns out to be the real bogeyman

The significance of Trump’s tariffs is that they have destroyed the credibility of America on which its global alliances have long depended.

6 Apr 2025 - 9:00PM

Pacific nations

Scientists think they’ve finally figured out how iguanas got to Fiji

Most modern-day iguanas live in the Americas – thousands of miles and one giant ocean away from the collection of remote Pacific islands.

18 Mar 2025 - 10:00AM

A female Lau banded iguana in Fiji. Photo: US Geological Survey/AP

Tourism

Beaches, caves, the Blue Lagoon: kayaking in Fiji’s Yasawa islands

Kayaking allows visitors to enjoy a relaxed trip through Fiji’s turquoise waters and volcanic islands and soak up the culture.

15 Feb 2025 - 11:15AMvideocam

A kayaker pulled up on the beach on Nacula Island in the Yasawa archipelago, Fiji. Photo: Shutterstock

Pacific nations

US man sentenced to life for murdering wife at Fiji resort during honeymoon

A judge said Bradley Robert Dawson showed ‘appalling’ disregard for Christe Chen’s life as he fled the scene after attacking her.

14 Feb 2025 - 1:53PM

Australia

2 Virgin Australia crew members allegedly raped, robbed in Fiji

Fiji police were investigating the incidents that happened outside a nightclub in Nadi.

2 Jan 2025 - 12:52PM

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Fiji

How China’s rare missile test sparked hysterical hypocrisy

Western pundits were quick to denounce Beijing. But far more frequent US launches rate barely a mention.

.css-1pcrwvc{color:#2aa191;}Opinion | Panic over China’s missile test is born of Western bias

What does China’s submarine missile test mean for its nuclear triad expansion?

Australia, Fiji sign mutual defence pact to boost Pacific security

Australia has greatly upped its diplomatic efforts in the region following China’s secretive security deal with the Solomon Islands in 2022.

Aid and diplomacy: US Navy’s renewed bid for Southeast Asian influence

Pacific Partnership 2026 aims to counter China’s rising influence in the region, amid growing doubts about US leadership, analysts say.

Quad’s proposed port project in Fiji risks being ‘another empty promise’

Analysts warn that a lack of commitment by the four-member bloc on the project could open the door for China to expand its economic clout.

US-China policy under Trump is heading for ‘unpredictable drift’: expert

Beijing is said to face complex double-edged calculus amid contrasting approaches of American president and Washington establishment.

Quad foreign ministers fight for relevance as leaders’ summit remains elusive

Critical minerals and Indo-Pacific security took centre stage amid doubts over US commitment and a delayed leaders’ summit.

Pacific Islanders skip food, medicine amid global fuel shortage from Iran war

Pacific nations are the most reliant on diesel for power generation worldwide. They imported about 2.2 million tonnes of fuel in 2025.

.css-1f6sr3w{color:#727272;}On This Day | First Hong Kong Sevens rugby tourney held in 1976 – SCMP archive

50 years ago today, the city hosted its first international rugby sevens tournament at the Hong Kong Football Club.

Call for ‘Pacific Eyes’ intelligence body to offset China’s growing presence

Think tank proposes dedicated alliance – initially with Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Fiji – to avoid being ‘blindsided’.

Australia’s Jetstar prepares to fly with cargo door open, sparking outrage

A union leader calls the incident ‘horrific’, blaming it on a baggage handling firm for overworking its staff.

Pacific Islands leaders call for ‘ocean of peace’ but face rough seas at summit

The Pacific Islands Forum has been clouded by allegations that host Solomon Islands did not invite Taiwan to please its close backer.

My Take | World must stand up to US bullying of International Criminal Court

Washington’s latest sanctions of ICC judges continue its direct assault on international law and is a slap in the face of the global community.

US sanctions ICC judges for probes into alleged American, Israeli war crimes

The sanctions, announced by Secretary of State Rubio, are the latest steps the US has taken against the international war crimes tribunal.

Opinion | World Court’s ruling opens the door wider for climate justice

The court’s decision could result in legal action against countries that fail to honour their climate commitments.

World’s top court just changed the game for climate action

The landmarks ruling holds that countries and big corporations have a legal duty to shield people from environmental harm.

World Court states ‘clean environment’ is a human right

The more than 500-page non-binding opinion from the UN’s highest court is seen as a potential turning point in international climate law.

Australia, US push Pacific deterrence amid China’s security overtures

Analysts note the significance of Papua New Guinea and Fiji’s unprecedented involvement in this year’s ‘Olympics of war games’.

Fiji rejects idea of Chinese military bases in Pacific islands

‘If they want to come, who would welcome them?’ Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka said on Wednesday. ‘Not Fiji’.

Tiny Pacific nations fear US travel bans. Why?

Tuvalu, Tonga and Vanuatu all appeared on a list of nations facing new visa curbs. A US official says Washington has ‘valid concerns’.

Most Pacific island women don’t work. The World Bank wants to change that

Outdated laws and social norms keep 57 per cent of working-age women across the Pacific out of the labour force, the bank says.

Review | Looking for a luxury eco-resort in Fiji? Try Jean-Michel Cousteau Resort

Where better to celebrate World Oceans Day than at this luxury Fijian resort, where Scuba inventor Jacques Cousteau’s son works with its owners through his Ocean Futures Society.

My Take | The United States, not China, turns out to be the real bogeyman

The significance of Trump’s tariffs is that they have destroyed the credibility of America on which its global alliances have long depended.

Scientists think they’ve finally figured out how iguanas got to Fiji

Most modern-day iguanas live in the Americas – thousands of miles and one giant ocean away from the collection of remote Pacific islands.

Beaches, caves, the Blue Lagoon: kayaking in Fiji’s Yasawa islands

Kayaking allows visitors to enjoy a relaxed trip through Fiji’s turquoise waters and volcanic islands and soak up the culture.

US man sentenced to life for murdering wife at Fiji resort during honeymoon

A judge said Bradley Robert Dawson showed ‘appalling’ disregard for Christe Chen’s life as he fled the scene after attacking her.

2 Virgin Australia crew members allegedly raped, robbed in Fiji

Fiji police were investigating the incidents that happened outside a nightclub in Nadi.

Opinion | Panic over China’s missile test is born of Western bias

On This Day | First Hong Kong Sevens rugby tourney held in 1976 – SCMP archive