Suva, Fiji - Australia and Fiji signed a major defense treaty on Monday, bolstering ties as Canberra seeks to outmaneuver China in the South Pacific.The Ocean of Peace pact elevates Fiji to one of Australia’s few treaty allies and binds each nation to come to the other’s “mutual defense.”China sent waves through the region in 2022 when it signed a secretive security pact with the Solomon Islands, stoking fears it could one day lead to a permanent military presence.