D.C. Various bilateral arrangements on a range of trade, political and economic issues are in place between the two countries. The U.S. has provided Fiji with development, technical and financial assistance in a wide range of areas covering agriculture, fishing, education, health, aviation and disaster preparedness programs.
Ethnicity plays a major role in Fiji's politics, economy and society.
The latter dominate the commercial sector and professions and are well represented in the lower levels of the public service. Fiji's system of parliamentary democracy, inherited when the country gained independence from Great Britain in 1970, was interrupted in 1987 with the installation of a military regime following two bloodless coups led by then Lt. Col. Sitiveni Rabuka. A constitution introduced in 1990 was widely regarded as undemocratic in that ethnic Fijians were assured dominant numbers in Parliament. Fiji returned to elected government in 1992. A new Constitution, widely viewed as more democratic, was adopted in July 1997.