Fiji sees Quad port initiative as boost for billion-dollar Suva redevelopment plan

Fiji has welcomed a new infrastructure initiative announced by the Quad nations, with officials expressing hope that the partnership could support a billion-dollar redevelopment and relocation of the country’s main port in Suva.

The announcement came during a meeting of Quad foreign ministers in New Delhi on Tuesday, where the four countries launched the “Quad Ports of the Future Partnership” aimed at developing port infrastructure in Fiji and strengthening maritime cooperation across the Indo-Pacific region.

According to an AFP report, Fiji Ports acting chief executive Suresh Prasad said that the announcement came as a “surprise,” but added that it had raised hopes that the Quad could back the long-discussed relocation of Suva Port, a project estimated to cost around $1.82 billion.

“If it’s a Quad project, it’s going to be a mega project, which is Suva port most likely,” Prasad told the news agency.

More from World

According to the report, the Fiji Ports agency, which is 41 per cent owned by the government, has already discussed with US officials a list of port upgrades worth $181 million, along with plans for relocating and redeveloping the country’s main dock.

Strategic focus on the Pacific

The Suva Port is strategically important for Fiji and the wider Pacific region. The facility also includes Fiji’s navy base and has hosted visits from China’s Yuan Wang 7 space and missile tracking vessel. Around 100 Chinese fishing vessels also operate in the Pacific from the Suva base.

According to the report, Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka had earlier discussed plans to modernise the country’s port and shipbuilding industry with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a visit to Beijing in 2023.

Australia, which has raised concerns over China’s growing influence and security ambitions in the Pacific, later agreed to cooperate with Fiji on some redevelopment projects, though Canberra stopped short of supporting the relocation of Suva Port.

US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau reportedly met Fiji Ports officials in February, while additional American officials visited Fiji in April to discuss possible infrastructure funding, the report said.

Prime Minister Rabuka also told parliament this week that Fiji had reached an agreement with the US Millennium Challenge Corporation for a feasibility study on port development projects. He stressed that any future arrangement would involve grants rather than loans.

Quad rejects anti-China perception

The Quad initiative comes amid increasing geopolitical competition in the Indo-Pacific region, particularly between China and Western powers seeking greater influence in the Pacific.

India on Tuesday pushed back against suggestions that the Quad was aimed at containing any particular country, saying the grouping’s focus remained on practical and development-oriented projects across the Indo-Pacific.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the Fiji port initiative as the first time Quad members would jointly fund and develop a port project in the Pacific, calling it a possible model for future cooperation in the region.

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the project represented the “strongest ever commitment” by the Quad towards Pacific nations at a time of rising economic and strategic pressures.