Fiji is drawing inspiration from China's proven methods of poverty alleviation, particularly its village-by-village approach that has lifted millions out of poverty, as it looks to tackle its own development challenges, said Assistant Foreign Minister Lenora Qereqeretabua on Wednesday.
Her remarks came during the ongoing Third China-Pacific Island Countries Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Xiamen, Fujian Province, where foreign ministers and representatives from 11 island nations are gathered.
In August last year, Fiji's Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka visited Malipo County in southwestern China's Yunnan Province, where he observed the region's systematic, multi-level poverty alleviation efforts, an approach credited with transforming countless people's life.
"It wasn't just about handouts, it was about teaching a man or teaching a family to fish instead of just giving them the fish,” said Qereqeretabua.
The Fijian government is now exploring how to adapt China's approach to Fiji's context, according to Qereqeretabua.
"The rural revitalization approach was implemented and executed by the central government in Yunnan Province at the provincial level, at prefecture and county levels. So in Fiji's poverty eradication context, we are considering the village-by-village initiative to mirror what our learnings are from China," she explained.
Fiji's Ambassador to China Robert Lee has been tasked by Prime Minister Rabuka to further explore China's poverty alleviation strategies and determine how they can be applied in Fiji.
The Assistant Foreign Minister emphasized that while their poverty alleviation initiative is still in its early stages, its foundation is rooted in valuable insights from China's success.
"This strategic initiative is a major departure from decades of established development approaches and the models that have been adopted and put into practice in Fiji over many years. So while this initiative is yet untested in Fiji, its foundation and its concept are anchored in insights and learning from our prime minister's successful trip to Yunnan Province last year and about the poverty eradication successes in rural ethnic communities and villages in China that have relevance to the rural and maritime communities that we have in Fiji," she said.
The two-day event, running from May 28 to 29, will facilitate in-depth exchanges of views on all-round cooperation between China and Pacific Island countries, as well as on international and regional issues of mutual interest.
Assistant FM highlights Fiji's insights from China's poverty alleviation methods
