2017年CRI B&R Initiative brings new opportunities for the South Pacific: Fiji PM

 

Fijian Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama. [Photo: China Plus]

Among the 29 heads of state or government attending the upcoming Belt and Road Forum¹ for International Cooperation in Beijing will be Fijian Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama.

What does the Belt and Road Initiative mean to this tiny South Pacific island nation and the region as a whole?

To many Chinese, the tiny island of Fiji is a remote but attractive tourist destination, with very few aware of the fact that the first Chinese set foot on the island more than 160 years ago.

China and Fiji forged diplomatic ties in 1975, and during President Xi Jinping's state visit in November 2014, the two sides agreed to establish a strategic partnership² based on mutual³ respect and common development.

Small as they are, Fiji and other South Pacific island nations enjoy a unique advantage in terms of their geographic⁴ locations, becoming potential key partners for cooperation in building the 21st Century Maritime⁵ Silk Road.

Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama believes the Belt and Road Initiative will bring new opportunities for the future of the South Pacific.

"The Belt and Road Initiative comes with regional development, South-South cooperation, and that assists us in bringing about infrastructure⁶, which is very important for us. It'll not only help Fiji, but we also hope to pass it across the rest of the South Pacific region," said Bainimarama.

As the second largest economy in the South Pacific after Papua New Guinea, Fiji enjoys abundant fishery, forestry⁷ and mineral resources.

However, similar to other fellow South Pacific nations, the lack of infrastructure becomes a bottleneck⁸ to their future development.

The Fiji government has put in place a grand scheme to build the country into a regional transportation hub, and according to Prime Minister Bainimarama, their goal and the Belt and Road Initiative is highly complementary.

"We have a few Chinese companies here; they have brought a lot of infrastructure to Fiji, building our roads, our bridges and ports. So it has helped us in developing our infrastructure in Fiji. Fiji is open for business, we have a lot of conditions in terms of the creation of business in Fiji, our weather is nice, the population is nice, and Fijians are very welcoming. And so we welcome everyone who wants to come to create business here in Fiji, especially in investment," said Bainimarama.

The Chinese government has been advocating that all countries, big or small, are welcome to participate in the Belt and Road Initiative so that the results of the concerted efforts will benefit wider areas.

The upcoming Beijing Forum provides an opportunity for participating countries to deepen their friendship and reach consensus⁹ on mutual benefit and win-win cooperation. The Fijian Prime Minister says he feels excited about the Beijing trip.

"It will be exciting because this is the first time I'm attending one of these forums¹⁰, so we're excited to find out what it is to offer. I understand we are the only Pacific island nation being invited, so we are very honored for the invitation. We hope to learn a lot from this Belt and Road Initiative. I understand it deals with regional cooperation, so I'm hoping to gain a lot of knowledge and support for the regional cooperation that I can bring back to the Pacific islands, especially to Fiji, and also in South-South cooperation," said Bainimarama.

Meanwhile, as the President of COP23, or the 23rd session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Climate Change, Mr. Bainimarama expects to use the Beijing forum to meet with other world leaders and discuss the agenda of the key meeting later this year.

1 forum   

n.论坛，讨论会

参考例句：

• They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
• The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。

2 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

3 mutual   

adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的

参考例句：

• We must pull together for mutual interest.我们必须为相互的利益而通力合作。
• Mutual interests tied us together.相互的利害关系把我们联系在一起。

4 geographic   

adj.地理学的，地理的

参考例句：

• The city's success owes much to its geographic position. 这座城市的成功很大程度上归功于它的地理位置。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Environmental problems pay no heed to these geographic lines. 环境问题并不理会这些地理界限。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

5 maritime   

adj.海的，海事的，航海的，近海的，沿海的

参考例句：

• Many maritime people are fishermen.许多居于海滨的人是渔夫。
• The temperature change in winter is less in maritime areas.冬季沿海的温差较小。

6 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

7 forestry   

n.森林学；林业

参考例句：

• At present, the Chinese forestry is being at a significant transforming period. 当前, 我国的林业正处于一个重大的转折时期。
• Anhua is one of the key forestry counties in Hunan province. 安化县是湖南省重点林区县之一。

8 bottleneck   

n.瓶颈口，交通易阻的狭口；妨生产流程的一环

参考例句：

• The transportation bottleneck has blocked the movement of the cargo.运输的困难阻塞了货物的流通。
• China's strained railroads already become a bottleneck for the economy.中国紧张的铁路运输已经成为经济增长的瓶颈。

9 consensus   

n.(意见等的)一致，一致同意，共识

参考例句：

• Can we reach a consensus on this issue?我们能在这个问题上取得一致意见吗？
• What is the consensus of opinion at the afternoon meeting?下午会议上一致的意见是什么？

10 forums   

讨论会； 座谈会； 广播专题讲话节目； 集会的公共场所( forum的名词复数 )； 论坛，讨论会，专题讨论节目； 法庭

参考例句：

• A few of the forums were being closely monitored by the administrators. 有些论坛被管理员严密监控。
• It can cast a dark cloud over these forums. 它将是的论坛上空布满乌云。