Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka had an eye-opening tour while on his 10-day visit to China and hopes for bilateral cooperation in rural development.
While speaking to CGTN News, Rabuka says it's an eye opener for him, in the sense that they thought they were doing Fiji’s poverty alleviation as well as regional, rural and outer island development programs well, but when they look at the scale and the leaps and bounds that China has taken in the same period, it's really amazing.
He says Fiji has a lot to learn, and he has been taking a lot of notes since he arrived on how Fiji might be able to turn the little things in the villages into big things in the provinces and the nation.
On Tuesday afternoon, Rabuka arrived in Malipo in Yunnan Province, a county sitting on the China-Vietnam border.
He toured two villages – Ping'anpo and Nanyou – where he learnt how rural revitalization is taking place in terms of agricultural development, education and protection of ethnic culture.
He says he is impressed by how these remote villages have undergone tremendous changes in a short period of time.
Rabuka says he was very impressed with the pictures they showed him of the village in 1992 and the pictures of the village today.
He says he was Prime Minister of Fiji in 1992, and he is Prime Minister again now, but nowhere in Fiji have they seen any improvement as close to what they have seen in China.
The Prime Minister congratulated the leaders, the Chinese leaders of the past, and particularly President Xi Jinping, for the work that he has done and his vision to concentrate his efforts, his political efforts to alleviate poverty and to raise the standard of living of the people of China, particularly in those disadvantaged areas where minority ethnic groups live.
Rabuka further says Fiji is dedicated to reducing poverty, and Malipo's approach to rural development could serve as an inspiring model.
The Prime Minister says Fiji lags behind in e-commerce, and it is something he feels the government should focus on in the next two years.
He adds they must do something to start the ball rolling and point in the right direction for future governments to follow.
Fiji is the first Pacific Island country to have established diplomatic ties with China. Over the past five decades, the two countries have witnessed close exchanges across various fields.
Rabuka says he expects more collaboration with China under the Belt and Road Initiative.
Before departing Yunnan Province, the Prime Minister and his delegation sang a traditional farewell song to show their appreciation.
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