Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr has taken over the Pacific Islands Forum chairmanship with a clear message to the region’s powerful partners: the Pacific will decide its own direction.
Opening the 55th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders’ Meeting in Koror on Tuesday, Whipps said Pacific countries welcomed genuine partnerships but would not allow outside powers to set the region’s agenda.
“Our partners are welcome to sail with us but they do not choose our destination,” he said. “The Pacific agenda must be driven by us, for us, and the Forum must remain the political home in which that agenda is shaped.”
Palau has taken over the Forum chair from Solomon Islands, and Whipps said the responsibility comes with a need for unity and practical action.
“The achievement of our collective aspiration and our leaders’ vision for 2050 rests on our unity and solidarity as a Forum family. I cannot underscore that enough,” he said.
But Whipps said unity did not mean Pacific countries had to agree on everything.
Pacific leaders gather in Koror for the 55th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders’ Meeting, with regional unity and Pacific-led priorities at the centre of discussions. Photo/Pacific Islands Forum
“Unity does not require us to pretend that every national interest is identical. It requires us to listen honestly, protect the dignity of every member and keep searching for the ground on which we can stand together.”
The Forum is being held under Palau’s B.E.L.A.U. theme – Building Economies, Life, Action and Unity.
Whipps said those words needed to translate into real improvements for Pacific communities, and not more regional promises.
Former Forum Secretary-General Henry Puna is in Palau representing the East West Center in Hawai’i. Photo/Pacific Islands Forum
“The Pacific has never suffered from a shortage of issues. We have declarations, strategies and carefully negotiated commitments.
“Their value is realised when a community gains safe water, a school can teach, and help arrives before a crisis becomes a disaster. Our people expect and deserve results,” he said.
He said the region’s growing strategic importance meant Pacific countries needed to be careful about the difference between outside attention and genuine respect.
“The world increasingly recognises the strategic importance of our region. We welcome friends and genuine partnerships, yet attention is not the same as respect,” Whipps said.
That message was put to the test almost immediately, with China objecting to Taiwan’s high-level presence at the Forum opening.
Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr and Taiwan Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung, who attended the opening of the 55th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders’ Meeting in Koror. Photo/MOFA, Taiwan
Taiwan Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung attended the ceremony and is expected to take part in official side events, including the Taiwan–Forum Countries Dialogue.
China’s Special Envoy for Pacific Island Countries Affairs, Qian Bo, said Beijing had raised its concerns with Palau and the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat.
“Taiwan is not a dialogue partner for the forum, so we have serious concerns,” Qian told reporters. “We have made our position very clear to the government of Palau and the secretariat.”
Asked whether there would be consequences for Taiwan’s participation, Qian said: “There will always be consequences… It’s not a threat.”
Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese backed the Forum’s right to decide who takes part.
“The Pacific Islands Forum determines what happens here, not any other country,” Albanese said.
New Zealand Foreign Minister Vaovasamanaia Winston Peters also said the Pacific family does not take instructions from countries outside it.
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is yet to arrive in Palau. Peters is attending the Forum this week while Luxon is due to arrive on Wednesday ahead of the Leaders’ Retreat.
Lin said Taiwan was “honoured to serve as a partner in the Pacific”, and would continue working with countries across the region.
Palau is one of three Pacific Forum members with Tuvalu and the Marshall Islands that maintain diplomatic relations with Taiwan and not China.
Watch China’s Special Envoy for Pacific Island Countries Affairs, Qian Bo, speak to the Australian media in Palau.
President Whipps says the focus remains on what Pacific leaders can deliver for their people.
“This week must be about prioritising the work the Pacific needs. Work that secures the future of our people, our islands and our ocean,” he said.
The 55th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting ends on Friday.
