India, Sept. 3 -- Its pristine beaches and turquoise waters may induce a sense of calm and well-being for the thousands of tourists who flock to the tiny archipelago of Fiji, nestled in the midst of the vast Pacific Ocean. But Fiji, like the other small island states in the Pacific, is also at the centre of a raging battle for influence between China and other world powers, given its strategic location.
This tussle has acquired an added edge as the Indo-Pacific region, where these island nations straddle vital sea lanes, gains greater salience and countries devise stratagems to contain China.
India's rolling out of the red carpet for the Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka recently, therefore, not only lent a fresh impetus to bilateral ...