Scott Morrison has given Fiji's Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama a ceremonial welcome at Parliament House as the leaders join for bilateral meetings.
The visit comes a month after Fijian Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama’s scathing attack on Prime Minister Scott Morrison with the talks in Canberra aimed at smoothing diplomatic tensions.
They will be attempting to bridge strained relations after the Fijian PM accused Scott Morrison of “very insulting and condescending” behaviour in an interview with The Guardian, over the Pacific Islands Forum in Tuvalu.
At the Tuvalu forum, Mr Bainimarama clashed with his Australian counterpart’s approach to action on climate change and coal mining - the dispute coming as a blow to Mr Morrison’s “Pacific step-up” strategy.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison attends a Traditional Ceremony of Welcome with the Prime Minister of Fiji Frank Bainimarama, in Suva, Fiji. Source: AAP
Adjunct associate professor for the Griffith Asia Institute Dr Tess Newton Cain told SBS News the leaders will want to use the meeting to mend ties following their Tuvalu dispute.
“Certainly immediately after the retreat the Prime Minister of Fiji was quite scathing in his comments about the way he felt Mr Morrison had conducted himself,” she said.
“[But] there will be a desire on both sides to make this visit a success.”
‘Pacific step-up’ strategy
Prime Minister Bainimarama’s trip to Australia is the former coup leader’s first official visit.
It comes after Scott Morrison travelled to Fiji in January, becoming the first Australian Prime Minister to visit the Pacific island nation in 13 years.
His trip was part of the Morrison government’s expanding push into the Pacific as it attempts to counter China’s growing influence in the region.
Labor leader Anthony Albanese told reporters yesterday he would be “surprised” if Mr Bainimarama didn’t again raise his concerns when meeting Mr Morrison.
“We need to be sensitive to the need to deal with the Pacific in a way that gives them respect,” he said.
But Dr Newton Cain said the leaders will likely downplay recent tensions as a slight “hiccup”, rather than a “major fault line” in diplomatic ties.
"There is a very strong sense that the Pacific step-up is driven by a desire to contain or constrain China's influence in the region," she said.
“Fiji has always been seen as a political, diplomatic and security hub.”
Prime Minister Scott Morrison and the Prime Minister of Fiji Frank Bainimarama. Source: AAP
‘Watered-down’ climate language
Fiji’s Prime Minister has been one of the most vocal critics of Australia’s approach to climate change and reliance on coal in the region.
He expressed frustration over the outcome of last month’s Pacific Islands Forum saying “watered-down” climate language has “real consequences".
The response was seen as a reaction to the summit breaking down over Australia’s demands for the forum’s closing statement.
This included wanting no references to coal, limiting warming to less than 1.5C or any mention of a plan for zero emissions by 2050, in the communique.
Scott Morrison has defended his approach saying Australia is meeting its emission targets and respects the need to address the impacts of climate change.
Dr Newton Cain believes this debate will again be on the agenda, particularly ahead of a UN climate action summit later this month.
“I don’t think Mr Bainimarama is going to use it as an opportunity to tell Mr Morrison off,” she said.
“[But] he may use it ... to encourage Australia to get more on board with the rest of the Pacific.”
‘Chequebook diplomacy’
In talks with his Fijian counterpart, Prime Minister Morrison will be vying to repair any reputational damage his “Pacific step-up” strategy suffered from the Pacific Islands Forum.
Ahead of Mr Bainimarama’s visit, Scott Morrison praised the “strong friendship” and “history of cooperation” between the two countries.
“We are all part of the same Pacific family, the Pacific vuvale,” he said last week.
But Scott Morrison's regional strategy has not come without scrutiny.
Mr Morrison and Fijian Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama in Suva, Fiji. Australia is trying to build influence in the Pacific with "soft-power" approaches. Source: AAP
Mr Bainimarama recently accused him of using “chequebook diplomacy” for focusing too much on Australia’s financial commitments to the Pacific.
In an interview with The Guardian, he compared this behaviour unfavourable to that of China.
“China never insults the Pacific,” he said.
“I thought Morrison was a good friend of mine; apparently not.”
'Vuvale partnership'
Before this controversy, Mr Morrison’s trips to Fiji, Vanuatu and his hosting of Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister James Marape earlier this year, had attempted to sway regional support for his Pacific pivot.
A “vuvale” partnership – from the Fijian word for family - was agreed to between Mr Morrison and Mr Bainimarama during his visit to Fiji in January.
This included a pledge to allow Fijians to work in Australia for up to three years under the Pacific Labour Scheme and a commitment towards upgrading Fiji’s Black Rock military training base.
Prime Minister of Fiji Frank Bainimarama and Prime Minister Morrison exchange gifts. Source: AAP
The leaders’ talks are expected to cover trade, labour mobility and defence and security alongside the shadow of their climate debate.
“The Pacific-step up has a very strong defence aspect to it,” Dr Newton Cain said.
“[That] will be very important for Australia.”
Who is Frank Bainimarama?
The Fijian Prime Minister at the centre of this relationship's recent controversy is a former naval officer, who came to power during a military coup in 2006.
This political unrest initially rocked Fiji’s relations with Australia, but they have since eased with the holding of free elections in 2014 and 2018.
New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Fiji's Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama at the Pacific Islands Forum. Source: AAP
But Dr Newton Cain said the legacy of that coup has continued to cause Fiji domestic troubles.
“There are ongoing concerns about democratic rights."
She said within Fiji there is some “disappointment” towards Australia for ignoring such matters in favour of strategic interests.
"During this visit none of those things are going to be raised and they are really quite significant issues for Fiji and the region as a whole. “
