Fiji will become the 14th country and first Pacific island nation to join US President Joe Biden’s signature economic framework, the White House announced on Friday, delivering a boost to Washington’s efforts to counter growing Chinese influence in the Asia Pacific.
The announcement of Fiji’s membership of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) came as Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi travelled to Kiribati as part of an eight-country tour of Pacific island countries, where Beijing and Washington are locked in a battle for influence.
