Palau’s president called on Thursday for a “unified” Pacific response to July’s missile test by China on the final day of a summit clouded by alleged Beijing meddling.
China gave only a handful of nations short notice before test-firing an intercontinental ballistic missile in July, flexing its military might in a region where it has long sought to expand its reach.
It sparked condemnation from multiple Pacific leaders, but the 18-member Pacific Islands Forum being held in Palau, is yet to issue a formal response to the test.
Palau, which invited its diplomatic ally Taiwan to attend sideline events as an aid partner, has urged the region to send a strong message.
“That’s definitely something that we’ll be discussing today, and a unified Pacific voice is critical in getting Beijing to respect sovereignty, to respect transparency, and to be a responsible partner,” Palau President Surangel Whipps told journalists.
“I think that’s the message that we should be sending to Beijing. So it’s important we have a unified position and we’ll work on that.”
Whipps said Beijing had “threatened and really disrespected” the region with the test of the rocket, which monitors said appeared to land in a patch of ocean somewhere between Solomon Islands, Nauru and Tuvalu.
“They never bothered to tell us that that’s what’s happening,” he said.
Beijing said the test launch was “a routine arrangement of China’s annual military training”, and that “relevant countries were informed in advance”.
The Pacific forum culminates with a leaders’ retreat on Thursday, during which officials are expecting to hammer out wording for a joint communique.
China’s security and economic influence has added resonance this year as the summit is being hosted by Palau.
Beijing’s Pacific envoy Qian Bo said there would be “consequences” after Taiwan Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung joined the opening ceremony.
A growing number of leaders have skipped this year’s forum and sent lower-ranked ministers in their place.
New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters suggested foreign interference behind the scenes may have played a role in the absences.
“Well, you’d be defying gravity and logic if you said it wasn’t a big problem,” he said.
Kiribati’s pro-Beijing president had already said he would not be attending.
Solomon Islands Prime Minister Matthew Wale unexpectedly flew out of Palau on Sunday to deal with a political crisis at home after a no-confidence motion was lodged against his leadership.
Solomon Islands had been China’s closest partner in the Pacific until Wale was recently elected, vowing to review a secret security pact with Beijing and repair ties with the United States and Australia.
oho/sft/tc
