Fiji defence minister welcomes US security deal and criticises China missile test

Pio Tikoduadua tells the Guardian the Pacific is ‘not a space for missile testing’ after China’s launch earlier this year raised concern in the region

Fiji’s defence minister has stressed the need for stability in the Pacific and welcomed moves to strengthen security ties with the US, while adding to criticism over China’s recent missile test for posing a threat to peace in the region.

Fiji, a country of about 1 million people strategically located in the Pacific, maintains ties and receives support from Washington and Beijing amid a wider struggle for influence by the two powers in the region.