The Chinese Embassy in Fiji noticed that recently 60 Minutes Australia and some other media have published news reports about China-Fiji relations. Based on lies, speculations and presumptions of guilt, these news reports are full of ideological bias and distortion of facts, aiming at smearing normal exchanges and cooperation between China and Fiji. The spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in Fiji denounces this and hereby makes the following clarifications, so as to set the record straight.

Lie 1: China is “condoning” transnational organized crimes around drugs in Fiji.

This allegation has no basis in fact and amounts to nothing but malicious speculation. It is typical disinformation, to which China firmly opposes.

The truth is: back in history, the overwhelming military might of western powers forced open China’s door to opium, making China a country that suffered the most from the affliction of drugs. If there is one country that abhors drugs the most, that is China. That is why the Chinese government has always implemented strict anti-drug policies and maintained a zero tolerance stance for drugs. To date, China has scheduled 456 anesthetic and psychotropic drugs and two entire classes of substances. We are one of the countries that have scheduled the biggest number of substances and exercise the strictest control on drugs. China has listed 38 types of controlled precursor chemicals—14 more than those regulated by the United Nations. The narcotics control authorities have put in place a comprehensive and dynamic supervision mechanism for all stages of precursor chemical management. Those are exemplary efforts on global drug governance. China has the strictest drug control policy in the world and enforces it in the fullest way. Our efforts are widely recognized by the international community.

Drugs are a common enemy of humanity. Combating drugs is the shared responsibility of countries around the world. The Chinese government has great sympathy and empathy for anti-drug efforts across the globe. We have taken an active part in international anti-drug cooperation, including in the fields of preventive education, rehabilitation and technical exchanges with various countries and international organizations. We have signed 50 inter-governmental and inter-agency anti-drug cooperation documents with over 30 countries and country blocks, established annual meeting mechanisms with 13 countries, and joined 5 multilateral anti-drug mechanisms including the one under the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. In this way, we have made great contributions to regional drug control, regional security and stability, and people’s health and well-being. China will continue to advance international anti-drug cooperation and contribute to joint efforts to tackle the global issue of drugs.

Lie 2: China is “using alleged gangsters as political proxies” to “advance its interests”. 

This allegation is filled with distortion of facts which aims to smear Chinese political system and disrupt normal exchanges and cooperation between China and Fiji. 

The truth is: CPC-led United Front endeavors to bring together various political parties and people from all walks of life, ethnic groups and organizations. Simply put, it aims to promote cooperation between the CPC and people who are not members of it. When it comes to exchanges with foreign countries, the CPC and the Chinese government always believe that different civilizations should respect and learn from each other with an open mind and countries should strive for harmonious coexistence, win-win cooperation and peaceful development. By uniting overseas Chinese nationals including students, the Chinese side helps give full play to their role as a bridge linking China with the rest of the world to promote people-to-people exchange and nurture friendship. Its work is transparent, above-board and beyond reproach. 

Lie 3: China-Fiji police cooperation is a way to conduct “mass kidnapping” and “exert power in the region”. 

This allegation disregards facts for a hidden agenda. It is a demonization and malicious distortion of normal cooperation between China and Fiji. 

The truth is: the police cooperation between China and Fiji is professional, open and transparent. As early as in 2011, the two sides already signed the Memorandum Of Understanding between China’s Ministry of Public Security and Fiji’s Ministry of Defence, National Security and Policing, which has significantly promoted the exchanges and cooperation of law enforcement and police cooperation between the two countries. Under the MOU, China has provided assistance and training for Fijian Police. Chinese and Fijian Police have worked together for joint investigations on specific transnational crimes. Apart from Fiji, China has also carried out similar police cooperation with many countries in Asia and Europe. 

The need to fight cross-border crimes, repatriate fugitives and recover illegal proceeds is widely recognized by the international community. It is a just cause. China’s police cooperation with any country in the world is conducted in strict accordance with international law, with full respect for the laws and judicial sovereignty of other countries, and commitment to protecting the lawful rights and interests of criminal suspects. The relevant operation is fully justified. Some media, on the other hand, has chosen to ignore the facts, deliberately distorted China’s efforts of repatriating fugitives as something sinister and even described it as a “mass kidnapping”. China firmly opposes this.  

China’s police cooperation with Fiji doesn’t target any other country, nor should it be disrupted by other countries. As a sovereign country, Fiji has the right to make its own judgment on whether China-Fiji police cooperation is good or not, and whether it should be continued. Some forces point fingers at this, indicating that they still regard Pacific island countries as their own sphere of influence, and police cooperation with PICs as their own prerogative. This is typical hegemonism. 

Lie 4: China wants “as much access and as much influence as possible” in the South Pacific, and big and small investments in Fiji's local community are just China’s “growing clout in the region”. 

This is the biggest misrepresentation and smearing of China-Pacific island countries cooperation. 

The truth is: China and PICs are all developing countries and committed to reinforcing each other under the framework of South-South cooperation. When developing relations with PICs, China fully respects their sovereignty and independence, fully respects their will, fully respects the cultural traditions and their effort to seek strength through unity. With the actual needs of the PICs as the prerequisite, the cooperation between China and PICs is always focused on economic growth and improvement of people’s livelihood. As everyone could see, China’s assistance to PICs has enhanced local infrastructure, realized economic growth and improved PIC people’s livelihood by such efforts as building the Juncao Technology Demonstration Center, renovating Suva Multifunctional Stadium, installing solar-power lights, and planning to upgrade roads on Vanua Levu. 

In the story titled China’s blatant bullying on Fiji territory, some media misinterpreted China’s assistance to PICs as a political intention to intensify regional influence, labeled the normal cooperation between both sides as China’s control and interference into PICs’ affairs. These are nothing but groundless slandering and defamation. In fact, since China and PICs established diplomatic ties more than 40 years ago, what China has been contributing to the Region are practical matters such as renovating roads and building bridges, challenging matters that respond to PIC people’s urgent concerns, and good matters that uphold regional solidarity and stability. Never has China stirred up any dispute in the Pacific Region, violated any inch of land from PICs, or signed any agreement that forced PICs to sacrifice their sovereignty. 

China has no interest in geopolitical competition, or seeking the so-called "sphere of influence". Without any political conditions attached, China’s cooperation with PICs never targets any third party. China always believes that the South Pacific is the homeland of the people of the PICs, not the backyard of big powers outside the region. The South Pacific Region is a stage for cooperation, not a battle field for vicious competition. It makes no sense to view China's sincere help to PICs from the narrow perspective of geo-competition. Forcing PICs to "choose sides" can never address the urgent demands for development of the people from the PICs, nor the common threat of climate change to mankind. 

The spokesperson emphasized that, China welcomes media from all countries to pay attention to and report on China and China-Fiji cooperation, but media coverage should respect facts and abide by the professional standards of objectivity, impartiality and professionalism, and should not abuse the freedom of the press. China regrets that the above media reports have made a presumption of China's guilt without verifying the facts, deviated from the basic facts and legal norms, misled public opinion and undermined its own credibility. 

The friendship between China and Fiji is everlasting, and the cooperation between China and Fiji is beneficial to both sides. It will not be stopped by the intimidation and coercion of any force. That who is helping the PICs, and who is trying to manipulate the PICs, the people knows well. We firmly believe that any lie that smears China-Fiji relations will be self-defeating, and any attempt to hinder China's cooperation with PICs will never succeed.