Fiji’s Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka has expressed alarm over the “intensifying” rivalry between the United States and China and risk to global peace, warning that the Pacific doesn’t want to be forced to choose between the two superpowers.

Visiting Canberra this week for talks with Anthony Albanese, Mr Rabuka pledged to make the Pacific an “ocean of peace”, saying a region that collectively occupies 32 million square kilometres – bigger than the combined land areas of the US, China and Russia – had a right to be heard and recognised.