Australia and Fiji pledged closer defence and economic ties Thursday as prime ministers Scott Morrison and Voreque Bainimarama held landmark talks against the backdrop of an increased China presence in the South Pacific.

In the historic first bilateral visit by an Australian leader to Fiji, Morrison said they had taken their relationship to "a landmark" level. "We share a very strong commitment to understanding that unless our countries have strong economies then we cannot achieve what we want to achieve for our people," he said.

Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2019