Fiji does not currently face any direct external military threats that would warrant fear of invasion. However, the nation recognizes that the most significant security concerns stem from a region characterized by division, insecurity, and instability.
This assertion is outlined in Fiji’s Foreign Policy White Paper for 2024, which was launched by Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka at the Grand Pacific Hotel in Suva. The document emphasizes that contributing to a stable Indo-Pacific region is Fiji’s foremost strategic goal.
The report identifies the primary challenge in the Indo-Pacific as the need to establish a stable balance that can effectively manage the strategic competition between the United States and China, thereby laying the groundwork for a more stable multipolar region in the future. Achieving this balance is expected to be a long-term endeavor.
The Indo-Pacific region is marked by the intersecting interests of superpowers, major states, and smaller nations, necessitating arrangements that do not confine countries to a singular strategic framework like a bipolar system. Instead, a multipolar region will require flexible structures where interests are balanced, and strategic space is shared. Currently, Fiji acknowledges that we are still quite far from realizing this vision.
The paper further indicates that, in the medium term, power distribution in the Indo-Pacific will primarily follow a bipolar structure, highlighting a significant power gap between the United States and China compared to other major powers, such as India, Indonesia, and Japan.
In the long run, however, it suggests that power may become more diffused, with more nations seeking the ability to maneuver through this intricate strategic landscape without being exclusively aligned with any single major power. This reflects the essence of a multipolar system.