China has appointed Ambassador Qian Bo as the Chinese government special envoy for Pacific Island Countries affairs

On February 15, 2023, China’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, Wang Wenbin at his Regular Press Conference announced that “China has appointed Ambassador Qian Bo as the Chinese government special envoy for Pacific Island Countries affairs. He is a veteran diplomat well-versed in Pacific Island affairs who served as China’s Ambassador to Fiji. Special Envoy Qian Bo is ready to establish close working relations with his colleagues of Pacific Island countries, promote all-round communication and cooperation between China and Pacific Island countries, and make strong efforts to advance further development of the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Pacific Island countries.”

In August 2022, Ambassador Qian Bo published a signed article entitled China will take all necessary measures to resolutely safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity on the Fiji Sun. As the Chinese Ambassador to Fiji, Qian Bo wrote that he felt ‘obliged to’ clarify China’s position to our friends in Fiji after Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi visited China's Taiwan region on 2 August 2022. Qian Bo wrote that Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan was ‘a serious violation of the one-China principle and the provisions of the three China-U.S. joint communiqués. It has a severe impact on the political foundation of China-U.S. relations, and seriously infringes upon China's sovereignty and territorial integrity. It gravely undermines peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, and sends a seriously wrong signal to the separatist forces for "Taiwan independence". China firmly opposes and sternly condemns this, and has made serious démarche and strong protest to the United States. 

Earlier, in 2016, the Government of Fiji reiterated its position when it said: “In line with our policy of strict non-alignment, Fiji enjoys friendly relations with all countries bordering the South China Sea, including China. We also believe in the strict adherence to and enforcement of international law. “In relation to the South China Sea, Fiji calls on all relevant parties to resolve any territorial disputes by peaceful means under international law.”