A Fiji official has praised the recent joint rescue exercise for Pacific Island nations and China, emphasizing China's role in fostering collaboration and learning between these nations, especially in emergency operations.
On Sunday, representatives from eight Pacific Island nations convened in south China's Guangdong Province for the 2024 Belt and Road Emergency Rescue Exercise, hosted by the Chinese Ministry of Emergency Management and the Guangdong provincial government.
The event, a pioneering initiative for Pacific Island nations, brought together approximately 300 participants from emergency response forces representing China and the island nations.
Twelve training exercises, including coordination and rope rescue missions, showcased the collaborative capacity of China and the Pacific Island countries in disaster response.
Jovesa Rokuta, Assistant Minister for Fiji's Ministry of Rural and Maritime Development, praised the program's success in fostering mutual learning among participants.
"The team did a very good rehearsal yesterday, and when we came in for the exercise today, it was well done. We see the coordination was very good, those who were running the show were doing it very well. Thanks to the government of China for coordinating the exercise today. I think that is a way forward, we should be allowing a lot of integration into the terms of our rescue operations, especially for disasters. We can not rely on one country alone, we have to do a lot of integration, learn from each other. The small pacific countries, they really learn a lot from China in the operation today. So, it was really very good," he said.
Rokuta stressed the necessity of cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative, stating that small Pacific countries must work together and learn from more advanced nations as equipment disparities still exist.
"Because in terms of accessibility, the pacific countries, most of us are poor countries. We don't have all this equipment like the Chinese have, the robot and all this sophisticated equipment, we really learn a lot. And we hope that this kind of integration exercises will be a future stepping stone towards China helping small pacific island countries," he said.
The Assistant Minister underlined the critical role of technology in conducting effective rescue operations, where they can learn more from China.
"Because if you have technology, it is easy to conduct, if you don't have the technology, then it is really hard to conduct. So we are really looking up to China in terms of technology and in terms of how to conduct emergency operations as it was done today," Rokuta said.
Fiji official lauds joint rescue exercise for Pacific Island nations under BRI framework
