Australia-Fiji Relations: Herr

Tasmanian academic  Prof Richard Herr OAM discusses Australian-Fiji relations,  and Australia'c concern about China's influence, in this March article published by Hawai'i's East-West Centre. Pn27

While on leave from the University of Tasmania in 2012 Professor Herr was Director of the Centre for International and Regional Affairs at the University of Fiji,  which had links also with the Fiji National University and the University of the South Pacific. He has studied and published on Pacific Islands affairs for over three decades and acted as a consultant to a number of Pacific Island governments.

Prof Herr

A wider perspective of his present concern about China's influence in Fiji would take into account his comments in 2014 when he noted that Fiji's political landscape had changed since the 2006 coup.  The country  had made new friends, including China, and  old allies like Australia and New Zealand  could not "expect to pick up where they left off". The Fiji Government had made it clear that it could not be expected to abandon new friendships for the sake of the old one.

P.S. This is what Bainimarama had to say about Fji- Australia NZ relations in  2015.

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