The Fiji Rugby Union has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Chinese Rugby Football Association.
As part of the MOU, the Chinese Union will be looking to their Fijian counterparts to help develop its sevens and fifteens programs, with exchanges for coaches, technical staff, teams and players.
Fiji Rugby Chairman, Commander Francis Kean, said China was a "super economic power" globally and there is huge potential for rugby to grow in the world's most populous nation, especially in the seven-a-side game.
Fiji Rugby Union Commander Francis Kean signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Chinese Rugby Football Association. Photo: Fiji Rugby Union
He said the agreement was another important achievement in the reform agenda of the Fiji Rugby Union.
"For too long, we have regarded ourselves amongst the minnows of the rugby world when our recent on the field performance in both the sevens and fifteens codes illustrate that we are a super power in rugby, especially in the sevens code," he said.
"As such (we) should be maximising the opportunities that are available globally for our players, our coaches and our technical staffs".
China also has plans to set up its own professional rugby competitions and will look to the FRU for support in terms of coaches, players and other technical staff.
"China has the resources and the people while we have the skills, expertise and passion for rugby," he said.
"As such it will be a win-win arrangement for both the rugby unions".
"Rugby is now an export commodity and we have our players playing all over the world who are sending remittance back home contributing to the national economy - as such any opportunity to grow the portfolio will only enhance rugby and national growth".
The FRU and CRFA will meet in the near future to finalise all the implementations plans.
In another historic achievement and for the first time ever, the Chairman of the Fiji Rugby Union Commander Francis Kean yesterday in the Guangzhou Province China, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Chinese Rugby Football Association who were represented by the Secretary of the China Rugby Football Association Mr Jack Lam.
