AUSTRALIA wants the Pacific region to be a resilient and strong region that trades together and invests together and it is looking at Fiji to take the lead role in bringing countries in the region together.
This was revealed by assistant secretary of the Pacific Economic and Trade branch at Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Andrew Cumpston during last week’s “Breakfast with economist Justin Smirk” event in Suva, organised by the Fiji Australia Business Council (FABC) for its members.
While presenting his analysis on “The Trump Effect: How Prepared Are We?”, Mr Smirk said Australia needed to step up and take leadership role in the Pacific region, now that the United States, under its new President Donald Trump, is pulling back from the region.
“While you can say things about Trump that I cannot, the one reaction we would have other than what you said — which is do your research, do your analysis, which is what we’re doing — is keep your friends close,” Mr Cumpston said in response to Mr Smirk’s question on whether it was right to say that Australia should be spending more attention in the Pacific with the US pulling back.
“In a world that’s increasingly fractured, the WTO agenda is getting trickier and trickier, still important, but if you look at the global trading world, it’s becoming fractured into regions,” he said.
“And it’s very important to us that the Pacific is a resilient and strong region that trades together, that invests together and that’s the instruction that I have from our Government.”
Mr Cumpston said Australia values its relationship with Fiji and sees it as “so deep and so important” that it is prepared to be flexible in the ongoing PACER-plus negotiations to help Fiji take a leadership position in the Pacific.
“I don’t want to tell you that PACER-plus is going to change the world. It’s not.
“But we see it as a really important piece of that enabling environment and allowing Fiji to take a leadership role in the Pacific region.
“It’s the economic hub, it’s the logistics hub and we would really like Fiji to take up that mantle as the leader in the region,” Mr Cumpston said.
“I can tell you that the Australian Government is completely prepared to be flexible about all the things that Fiji needs to ensure its economy remains strong.
“I can 1000 percent assure you that no one in Canberra wants Fiji to do anything but grow its industries.
“We have no interest in outcompeting Fijian industries and some of the wonderful niches that you’ve built,” he said.
President Trump’s intention to implement a wide range of tariff measures under his Government’s America First Trade Policy is currently causing major trade uncertainties globally.
