SUVA, July 15 (Xinhua) -- Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Zhao Houlin started on Monday his visit to Fiji and discussed with Fijian officials about Fiji's IT infrastructure and development.
According to a government statement, Zhao met with Fiji's Permanent Secretary for the Office of the Prime Minister Yogesh Karan and their discussions were focused on IT infrastructure and development in the island nation, among other important issues.
Zhao said that the ITU has worked with Fiji on a few IT-related projects in the past and aims to continue the relationship with the purpose of bringing their services closer to the region.
Zhao took the opportunity to highlight some of the upcoming events in the ITU calendar, which are 2019 ITU Telecom World Conference in September in Budapest, Hungary, and 2019 World Radio Communication Conference in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt from Oct. 28 to Nov. 22.
Karan highlighted Fiji's extensive investments in the e-platform and initiatives such as e-passports and online business registration.
Fiji has made significant progress in the area of IT but further improvement is required in order to compete with its developed partners such as Australia and New Zealand, he said.
The Fijian government, as part of its ongoing efforts of advancing the island nation's digital connectivity, will also expand telecenters and open new ones around the country.
These developments will create a more conducive environment for commerce and development, including attracting new sources of investment and growth.
As the first visit of the ITU chief to the South Pacific island nation, Zhao intends to further establish networks and to strengthen the ITU's relationship with the Fijian government and its stakeholders.
