US and Fiji Enhance Military Cooperation Amid Strategic Talks
The United States and Fiji are in talks to strengthen military ties, with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announcing negotiations for a Status of Forces Agreement to facilitate US military operations in Fiji. The US has pledged $4.9 million for Fiji's military modernization and signed a logistics cooperation deal. Austin's visit, the first by a US defense secretary to Fiji, highlights the strategic importance of Fiji amid the US-China power struggle in the South Pacific. Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka emphasized the significance of the visit for US-Fiji relations.