KOROR, Palau – Taiwan has defended its participation in the annual Pacific Islands Forum being held in Palau this week, telling member states not to let China “impose” its position on smaller island nations after a Chinese envoy made an issue of its presence.
China’s special envoy for Pacific island affairs Qian Bo warned of “consequences” without elaborating after Taiwan Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung attended the forum’s opening ceremony on Monday.
“What he stands for, basically, is a threat,” Lin said of the Chinese diplomat in a press conference on Tuesday. He said Taiwan has attended the forum for over 30 years, and there is “no sense” for development partners like itself to be excluded.
China, which sees Taiwan as its territory to be reunited with the mainland, by force if necessary, has been seeking the exclusion of the democratically ruled island from the forum.
Taiwan maintains diplomatic ties with only Palau, Tuvalu and Marshal Islands in the 18-member forum, also involving New Zealand, Australia, after other countries switched their relations to Beijing.
Taiwan is not a dialogue partner of the forum like China, Japan and the United States, but it is a formal development partner, authorized by members of the framework.
Lin said his country has contributed in “substantive ways” to the forum’s capacity-building and development and expressed optimism about Taiwan’s participation when New Zealand hosts the forum next year, despite not having formal diplomatic ties with Wellington.
The minister said Taiwan is strengthening its relations with ally countries. As for the forum, he said that only member states should make decisions, adding, “We should not be making compromises just because of China’s bullying.”
On Wednesday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement Qian told the forum the previous day that Beijing appreciates that the “vast majority of forum members firmly uphold the ‘one-China’ principle,” the idea that China is the sole legal government of what it considers a breakaway territory.
The envoy vowed to further promote partnership between China and Pacific island nations, expanding trade and investment cooperation among other areas, according to the ministry.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun criticized Lin’s participation in the forum at a Beijing press conference on Tuesday, describing it as “grandstanding” by those seeking the island’s independence.
