New Zealand, Fiji deepen military ties amid growing challenges in Pacific

June 14 (UPI) -- The Oceania nations of New Zealand and Fiji agreed to strengthen military ties on Wednesday amid growing security challenges in the Pacific.

New Zealand's Defense Minister Andrew Little and Fiji Minister of Home Affairs and Immigration Pio Tikoduadua signed the Status of Forces Agreement in Suva following their closed-door meeting.

The ministers both described the framework over military deployments to one another's country as a symbol of the longstanding relations between their two nations.

"These Status of Forces agreement reflects a relationship that has been a longtime in the making," Little told reporters during a press conference, stating the new pact "will really ease the level of administration that goes with our respective personnel crossing between our two countries and entering our respective countries."

The agreement also facilities the exchange of information and intelligence between the two countries as well as arranges for joint exercises, training and operations on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.

The agreement was signed between the two Democratic nations amid growing tensions between the United States and China in the Pacific.

The building competition conflict has seen both Washington and Beijing strengthening ties in the region, with Washington growing closer to Australia and New Zealand and Beijing gaining a military foothold in the South Pacific in the Solomon Islands after it switched diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China in 2019.

Fiji has had a more than decade-long police cooperation agreement with China, but Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka told reporters earlier this month while in New Zealand that that deal was under review, signaling a distancing from the unitary state government of China.

"If our systems and our values differ, what cooperation can we get from them?" he asked.

Little on Wednesday indirectly referred to this tension in the Pacific by saying the agreement is important to solidify unions amid "changing geopolitical circumstances."

"It's important for the region to be uniting and coming together to make sure that our respective interests are properly considered," he said.