India and Fiji on Monday deepened their strategic partnership during Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Ligamamada Rabuka’s first official visit to New Delhi, agreeing on a series of health, defence and development initiatives after talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The two leaders announced that India will finance and construct a 100-bed super-speciality hospital in Suva and provide dialysis units, sea ambulances and a fresh consignment of low-cost generic drugs under the Jan Aushadhi scheme. India will also dispatch Hindi and Sanskrit teachers to Fiji and host training for Fijian Hindu priests as part of wider cultural exchanges. On security, the countries finalised an action plan to step up defence and maritime cooperation, including training of military personnel and support for guarding Fiji’s exclusive economic zone. The plan will be backed by the establishment of a defence wing at India’s high commission in Suva and the gifting of equipment such as ambulances. Seven agreements were signed covering healthcare, rural finance, industrial standards, digital skills and pharmaceutical supplies. Fiji affirmed support for India’s candidature for a non-permanent UN Security Council seat in 2028-29 and signalled intent to join the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative, aligning with both nations’ advocacy of a free and inclusive Indo-Pacific. Modi and Rabuka also pledged closer collaboration on climate resilience and renewable energy through the International Solar Alliance, the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure and the Global Biofuels Alliance, underscoring their shared aim to amplify the voice of the Global South.