Chinese Government provides grant funding for Vunidawa Sports Complex Construction Project (Linked to Project ID#68688)

On November 22, 2014, the Chinese Government and the Government of Fiji signed an MOU regarding a grant for the Vunidawa Sports Complex Construction Project. In an official letter of engagement, China's Minister of Commerce, Gao Hucheng, indicated that the Chinese Government would be responsible for the design of the project, provision of needed construction machinery, equipment and materials along with the dispatching of the necessary number of engineers and technicians to Fiji to carry out the construction. Then, in the 2015 Budget Address, Fiji’s Minister of Finance, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, indicated that the Chinese Government had confirmed its commitment to fund the Vunidawa Sports Complex, although the actual cost of the project was not specified. The purpose of the project is to construct a sporting complex — with a maximum capacity of 4,500 seats with a total construction area of 1,475 square meters — in the town of Vunidawa within Naitasiri Province. China Northeast Architectural Design and Research Institute Co. Ltd. is the contractor responsible for project design and China Gezhouba Group Company Ltd. is the contractor responsible for project implementation. In late March 2015, Chinese surveyors and designers began site evaluations, and the China Northeast Architectural Design and Research Institute Co. Ltd. began initial evaluation, planning and work at the proposed project site. However, according to the Consolidated Review Report on the Office of the Prime Minister Annual Report 2013 and the Office of the Prime Minister Annual Report 2014 (as well as the May 2019 Review of the 2015 Budget Report), the initially proposed project site was costly (because of its position on a hill side) and prone to flooding. Consequently, the Chinese technical team declined the project proposal. A new project site was identified and the Government of Fiji allocated funding for land acquisition in FY2017. An article from January 2018 indicates that construction of the Vunidawa Sports Complex at the new site was underway. However, no further implementation details could be identified.

Additional details

This project is also known as the Rural Sports Complex in Vunidawa Project. According to the Consolidated Review Report on the Office of the Prime Minister Annual Report 2013 and the Office of the Prime Minister Annual Report 2014, the Chinese Government agreed to begin discussions with the Government of Fiji about the construction of sporting complexes in Korovou and Seaqaqa once the implementation of the Vunidawa Sports Complex Construction Project had begun. This issue merits further investigation.

Number of official sources

10

Number of total sources

17