Peceli Naviticoko 
The biggest challenge in global trade negotiations lies in the amount of economic and political power a country holds.
This has been highlighted by the Permanent Secretary for Trade, MSMEs, and Cooperatives, Shaheen Ali, stating that this often puts small island developing states like Fiji at a disadvantage.
Despite this, Fiji has made significant progress over the past 15 years by leveraging partnerships and international agreements, guided by the nation’s first trade policy framework launched in 2015.
Ali says Fiji’s achievements include the historic fisheries subsidies agreement under the WTO, which boosted Fiji’s participation and recognition in the global market.
“We also finalized the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, which is an agreement comprising 14 countries, including the US, Japan, and India. These Asian economies constitute 40% of the world’s GDP. Fiji now sits shoulder to shoulder with them on global issues like supply chain, anti-corruption, labor, and environment-related matters. The trade policy framework has enabled Fiji to negotiate very confidently.”
Domestically, Fiji has also reformed its investment framework, shifting its focus from regulation to actively supporting investors.
“Although skills are short, we have ensured that, thanks to partners like Australia and New Zealand, the trade ministry’s expertise remains with Fiji and is retained so that we can continue to pursue our trading interests.”
Meanwhile, under the second trade policy framework, Fiji is negotiating with major economies, including the US, India, China, Australia, New Zealand, and ASEAN nations, as part of its strategy to diversify markets and strengthen its global trade position.
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