‘Somebody is not very happy with you’: Fiji PM Rabuka on PM Modi amid US trade tensions

NEW DELHI: In the wake of Washington’s decision to levy a 50 per cent tariff on Indian goods, Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Ligamamada Rabuka on Tuesday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has the strength to cope with such pressures.

Speaking on the matter, Rabuka said, “…The recent announcements of the tariffs (by the United States)…I told him (PM Modi) the other day, somebody is not very happy with you, but then you are big enough to weather those discomforts…”

Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka spoke at the 54th Sapru House Lecture in New Delhi yesterday on his ‘Ocean of Peace’ proposal. He was asked a question whether bigger countries were listening to his idea and willing to support the concept.#Fiji #FijiNews pic.twitter.com/kY64rYuUJY

— The Fiji Times (@fijitimes) August 26, 2025

Rabuka revealed insights from his conversation with Prime Minister Modi during an audience interaction following his lecture on ‘Ocean of Peace’ at Sapru House, organised by the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA). The interaction came as part of his four-day visit to New Delhi, which began on Sunday, during which he was accompanied by his spouse, Suluweti Rabuka.

The visit began in New Delhi, where Prime Minister Rabuka was received at IGI Airport, after which he had a meeting with a Cabinet Minister. On August 25, Rabuka laid a wreath at Rajghat before meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Hyderabad House, which was followed by an exchange of MoUs and press statements. He then called on President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Continuing his engagements, on August 26, the Fijian leader delivered a lecture at Sapru House, organised by the Indian Council of World Affairs. The visit will conclude with his departure from Delhi on August 27. The engagement also followed recent high-level exchanges between the two countries.

India’s links with Fiji commenced in 1879 when Indian labourers (‘Girmitiyas’) were brought there under the indenture system to work on sugarcane plantations. Between 1879 and 1916, around 60,553 Indians were brought to Fiji. Beginning in the early 20th century, Indian traders and others had also started arriving in Fiji. In 1920, the indenture system was abolished. Before Fiji’s independence in 1970, India had a Commissioner since 1948, who was later upgraded to High Commissioner after independence. (ANI)