Fiji's president has told the United Nations that cultivating a culture of peace is now more urgent than ever.
Speaking at the UN General Assembly (UNGA), Ratu Viliame Katonivere said the Blue Pacific continent knows the value of peace, having lived through the horrors of its absence in the two World Wars.
Katonivere referenced China's test missile on Wednesday, and called for a halt to such actions.
"We urge respect for our region, and call for cessation of such action under principle four of the Ocean of Peace, as was endorsed by the Pacific leaders in Tonga last month," he said.
"Our statement reinforces the Pacific's peaceful example to uphold international law and urge others to refrain from actions that undermine peace and security in the blue Pacific."
The Fiji government launched its first foreign policy white paper this week.
According to the policy paper, the strategic competition between the US and China is the "largest challenge facing the Indo-Pacific".
Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka noted due to the "competition for primacy" between the two global powers,the "stakes are high" and "how this competition will play out is open to question".
Fijian government delegates at the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. 26 September 2024 Photo: Screengrab / UN Web TV
It is the first time China has launched a missile into the Pacific Ocean in over four decades, but Stanton Senior Fellow, Ankit Panda said China regularly tests long-range missiles.
The Chinese defence ministry said in a statement the missile was part of a "routine arrangement in our annual training plan", and that it was not directed at any country or target.
The missile "fell into expected sea areas", the statement said.
New Zealand's Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters called it a "concerning development".
"We remain in the process of gathering further information," Peters said in a statement.
"Pacific Leaders have clearly articulated their expectation that we have a peaceful, stable, prosperous, and secure region. As part of the region, New Zealand strongly supports that expectation."
