CANBERRA, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- Fiji's Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama on Monday called on Australia to pursue more ambitious climate targets.
During his official visit to Australia on Monday, Bainimarama said in a speech that Australia must be "far more ambitious" in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
"I understand that politics is the art of the possible. I understand the depth of feeling in coal-producing communities in Australia and the wider economic imperatives at state and federal level," he said, according to The Guardian Australia.
"But I also hope that we can eventually find more common ground in our partnership on the climate issue.
"Because it is the greatest threat to our security in the Pacific and for my own people, and other Pacific Islanders, the impacts are really starting to bite."
Bainimarama's visit came only about one month after he accused Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison's "very insulting and condescending" behaviour at the Pacific Islands Forum.
Morrison was left isolated at the forum, rejecting any wording in the PIF declaration for "an immediate global ban" on new coal mines and coal-fired power plants, according to The Australian report.
However, Morrison has made ramping-up Australia's presence in the Pacific his foreign policy priority.
