Fiji and the other Pacific Island nations are on the front line of the battle against climate change bearing the brunt of its terrible impact.

This was stressed by Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama while meeting with China's Special Representative of Climate Change Affairs, Xie Zhenhua on Fiji’s preparations for its upcoming presidency at this year's UN Climate Chance Conference (COP 23) in Bonn, Germany.

Bainimarama adds that we do not need to be reminded of the urgent need for global action.

He mentioned that just over one year ago, the biggest cyclone ever to make landfall in the southern hemisphere slammed into Fiji.

It killed 44 of our people, displaced many thousands of others and destroyed one third of our GDP.

At the meeting, Bainimarama also highlighted that a key priority of the Fijian Presidency would be to bring the challenges faced by Small Island Developing States to the forefront of the upcoming negotiations.

Bainimarama also emphasised the importance of advancing the full implementation of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change during Fiji's Presidency.

The two men also discussed possible avenues of Chinese support for Fiji's Presidency, and Bainimarama thanked China for being the first country to provide Fiji with financial support toward its upcoming presidency last year.