Asia Pacific, Australia news, Australian politics, Fiji, Pacific Islands Forum, Scott Morrison, World news
Fiji PM accuses Scott Morrison of ‘insulting’ and alienating Pacific leaders
Exclusive: Frank Bainimarama says Australian leader is pushing nations towards China
Scott Morrison has been accused of causing an extraordinary rift between Australia and Pacific countries by the prime minister of Fiji, who said the Australian prime minister’s insulting behaviour while at the Pacific Islands Forum in Tuvalu would push nations closer to China.
In an exclusive interview with Guardian Australia after the conclusion of the PIF, Frank Bainimarama, the prime minister of Fiji and a political heavyweight in the region, said Morrison’s approach during the leaders’ retreat on Thursday was “very insulting and condescending”.