2010-09-16 10:00

SUVA - An initiative by the Chinese government to visit the northern division of Fiji has led to a team from the Chinese Embassy assigned to Vanua Levu this week.

Chinese Ambassador to Fiji Han Zhiqiang is leading the tour in the northern division on Thursday and has been there since the beginning of the week.

On Thursday the delegation will visit Bua to check out the Bauxite Mine and on Friday they will be in Savusavu.

Earlier in the week they visited the Fiji Sugar Corporation and the Fiji Forests Industries.

Vanua Levu is Fiji's second largest island with an area of over 5,500 square kilometers half the size of Viti Levu and 1 hour's flight time from Suva.

Although Labasa is the largest town on Vanua Levu, Savusavu is the main tourist center with a large expart community.

The increasing visits by Chinese investors to Fiji was a result of Fiji's Prime Minister Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama plans to ditch traditional ties with Australia, New Zealand and the United States and align the island nation with China.

This is because China is the one country that understands the reforms Bainimarama's government is pushing for.

Bainimarama says at political level it made more sense to align with China.

"We need infrastructure, we need water, we need electricity. Australia and New Zealand and America, none of those nations are going to provide that. We know that now because of their policies towards us so let's forget about these nations," he said.