Fiji currently does not face a direct external military threat or the risk of invasion; however, the country is concerned about a region marked by division, insecurity, and instability. This was emphasized in Fiji’s Foreign Policy White Paper 2024, which was launched by Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka at the Grand Pacific Hotel in Suva.
The report identifies the promotion of a stable Indo-Pacific region as Fiji’s top strategic priority. It notes that the main challenge for the Indo-Pacific lies in creating a balance that allows for effective management of the strategic competition between the United States and China, while paving the way for a future stable multipolar region.
“This task is likely to take generations,” the report asserts. It emphasizes that the Indo-Pacific is a diverse area where the interests of superpowers, major powers, and smaller nations converge, necessitating flexible arrangements that do not force countries into a rigid strategic framework like a bipolar system.
To achieve a multipolar region, adaptable structures will be essential to balance interests and share strategic space. However, the report suggests that we are currently still far from this ideal.
It outlines that in the medium term, power distribution in the Indo-Pacific will predominantly follow bipolar lines, resulting in a considerable power gap between the U.S. and China, and a group of significant countries, including India, Indonesia, and Japan.
In the long term, the distribution of power is expected to become more varied, with more states seeking the ability to navigate a complex strategic landscape without being solely tied to any one power. This represents the essence of a multipolar system.