A second bauxite mine has been approved in Bua province on Vanua Levu in Fiji.
The Minister for Lands and Mineral Resources, Mereseini Vuniwaqa, has handed over lease documents
for the new site in Lekutu to the same company that opened a mine in the west of the island in 2011.
Chinese-owned XINFA Aurum Explorations Limited says the mining operations at the Nawailevu site will be completed by the end of this month.
The mine has produced 1.2 million tonnes of bauxite over the past three years, all of which has been shipped to China.
Mrs Vuniwaqa says the government has recognised XINFA's commitment to the people and employment opportunities the mine has created.
This week the minister held a public consultation session with the Tikina Naita in Lekutu Bua about the project.